The Dragon Girl
by Spooky2
Summary: A strange girl with a mobile suit that looks like a Gundam comes abord a ship the G-Boys are on. Quatre finds himself falling in love with her. But can he handle her past which is full of pain and abuse? Or even her? Someone full of anger, hatred.
1. Chapter 1

Spooky: Hey everybody it's Spooky again. Well this story I had thought of before my muses came around. This story has some intense violence and stuff. Please do NOT read this if you are under 13 or have a weak stomach! The more chapters I post the more you'll understand. Any way I thought of this one about a year ago. I know you're thinking: "A year ago? And _this_ is all she's written!" Not true. I have a lot written but there's a catch. I need reviews! So please review so I can post more of the story! Enjoy the show.

AC 196 April, 4:09 PM – space

A 15-minute shuttle ride from Earth _The Mars5 _floated peacefully through space. On the bridge at the radar station 25 year old Lieutenant Adam Lamar frowned at the radar. He moved light brown hair out of his face. Dark brown eyes studied the radar screen. At the same time Commander Andrea Blake brushed a lock of black hair behind her ear while talking to Captain Scott Reed.

"Sir, I've got eleven mobile suits on the radar," said Lt. Lamar.

"Do they pose a threat? And what kind of mobiles?" asked Captain Reed.

"No, sir. It looks like the others are chasing one of them. To answer your second question, the one being chased almost looks like a Gundam."

"But I thought all the Gundams were destroyed," interrupted the Capt.

"They were, sir."

"Hmm, interesting. What about the other ten?"

"They appear to be…mobile Dolls."

"But all military weapons were destroyed."

"Apparently not, sir."

"Are the Dolls attacking the mobile suit?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hmm." _The suit could be in trouble but…it could be a trap._ Thought the Capt.

"Sir! The mobiles are headed this way!" cried Lt. Lamar.

"Commander Blake."

"Sir," responded Cmdr. Blake.

"Red alert, everyone to battle stations. And get the Gundam pilots up here!"

"Aye sir!"

"Captain the mobile suit is hailing us," said Ensign Cindy Mackenzie.

"On screen."

A young girl of 16 with bright blue eyes and shoulder length blonde hair came up on the screen. What made the crew start was how beat up she was. A black eye, cuts and scrapes all over her face and a vivid scar that ran diagonal from just under her left cheekbone to her chin. "This is The Dragon and my mobile suit _Darkstar _requesting permission to dock and make repairs."

"This is Captain Scott Reed of The Mars5. Are the mobile Dolls your allies?" asked the Captain Reed.

"Absolutely not!" said The Dragon. An explosion behind her through her out of view of the screen. She came back, lip bleeding. Just then the 5 Gundam Pilots walked through the door to the bridge. "Please! I need help!" she cried then the screen went fuzzy.

"Ensign Mackenzie, report!"

"It looks like her communication chip was hit," reported the ensign.

On board _Darkstar _Veronica McCloud, a.k.a. The Dragon, tried to get the view screen to work. "Crap," she muttered. "I can't believe the Dolls hit the communication chip." She typed in a command but the computer beeped negative.

"The mobile Dolls are gaining!" stated Darkstar. "We'll have to fight!"

"I know, I know!" cried Veronica. She typed in another command. ZAP! Sparks flew out. She jerked her hands back. "Damn! Darkstar do we have enough power to fire the gun and destroy all the mobile Dolls?"

"Possibly. But I'm not sure."

"OK we'll just have to try."

The black mobile suit with a Dragon painted on the front turned to face the mobile Dolls. It came to a stop and lifted its gun to charge. The Dolls came closer and closer.

"They're almost on top of us!" cried Darkstar.

"Just a few more seconds!" whispered Veronica.

The gun fired and with a huge explosion destroyed 8 out of the 10 mobile Dolls. The other two turned and retreated. Veronica's breathing was hard and ragged as she watched them explode. She let out a sigh of relief.

Back on board the _Mars5 _Captain Reed ran his fingers through his gray hair. The bridge crew looked on astounded as the 8 mobile Dolls exploded and the other two ran.

"Ensign Mackenzie open shuttle bay doors," ordered the Capt.

"Yes sir!"

"Mr. Winner if you and your friends will follow me we'll go greet our visitor."

Quatre looked at Trowa and shrugged, then they followed the Captain out the door.

"They're opening the shuttle bay doors," said Darkstar

"I guess that means we can go in.," said Veronica. "Prepare for docking procedure."

Veronica expertly guided her mobile into the ships shuttle bay. She saw green lights on one of the platforms and guided Darkstar over to it. She fired the thrusters, gently set it down, and locked the mobile into place. When the atmosphere light turned green she got out of her chair, grabbed her suitcase and floated to the door.

"Hey Pepper are you coming or not?"

_I'm coming, I'm coming._ Came the mental response from her huge white and black spotted cat. He floated out and landed on her left shoulder. _Ugh I think I'm going to be sick._

"Well if you're going to throw up don't do it on me. OK?" She pressed a button and the door slid open. She floated out and landed on the shoulder of her mobile. Pepper dug his claws into her shoulder and tried to hold on.

She had a black space suit on, blood stained in places, a gun strapped to her right thigh, and two swords sheathed on her back. She looked across the docking bay and saw the Captain and five other boys standing on a platform about 100 feet above the docking bay floor. They were standing in front of the airtight door out of the shuttle bay. The Captain had a black and green military suit on and was balding. The other five looked to be between 15 and 17 years old. She floated forward and landed in front of them.

"Welcome aboard," said the Captain extending his hand.

She studied him with cool blue eyes then shook his outstretched hand.

"As you know I am Captain Scott Reed. May we get your name?"

"My name is for my friends," Said Veronica coolly. "But my enemies call me The Dragon."

"I've heard of you. You're the one who destroys entire ships but no one gets killed. You're also known as Death's Twin. And as far as I know we're not your enemies," Said the Captain.

A little smile came to her lips. "Wow I didn't know I was so famous. And maybe you're not my enemies but I don't trust many people." She shrugged. "But since you let me come aboard I guess I could make an exception. The name's Veronica McCloud."

"Well Miss McCloud let me introduce you to the Gundam pilots. This is Heero Yuy." He motioned to a boy with short dark brown hair that fell between his Prussian blue eyes. He's wearing a green no-sleeve shirt and black shorts. "Trowa Barton." He has dark green eyes and brown hair that falls over the right side of his face. He's wearing a tight black turtleneck and a pair of light blue jeans.

_I wonder how he gets his hair that way._ Thought Veronica. _But I'm not asking him._

"This is Duo Maxwell." His brown hair is in a yard-long braided ponytail and his cobalt blue eyes shown with a friendliness that the other two didn't have. He had black pants and a black long-sleeve shirt with a minister's collar. He shook her hand and smiled, unlike Heero and Trowa who merely nodded. "Wufei Chang." He has black hair in a slight ponytail and black eyes.

_Maybe they're just dark brown._ Thought Veronica.

He was wearing a dark teal no-sleeve shirt, loose white pants with a black belt and black wristbands. "And this is Quatre Raberba Winner." He has platinum gold colored hair that frames his face and falls between his big blue eyes. He's wearing a white tee shirt and blue jeans. He smiled and shook her hand. His eyes were kind and gentle.

_Wow. He's cute._ Thought Veronica. _No. I can't feel emotions. Then why did my hand tingle when he shook it?_

_Because you love him?_ Asked Pepper.

_Hey! Stay out of my head!_ Thought Veronica.

_You're the psychic not me. Remember?_ Said Pepper.

"If you'll follow me I'll take you to your quarters," said the Capt.

The captain pushed a button on the wall and the door slid open he floated through.

Veronica and the Gundam pilots followed. The artificial gravity pulled them down; Pepper nearly fell off her shoulder. They walked down a long corridor and turned left at the first intersection they came to. They passed a hallway and turned right at the second one. The captain stopped at the third door down the hall, he pushed a button and the door slid open.

"Captain, we're going to the gym. If you need anything we'll be in there," said Quatre.

The captain nodded and the Gundam pilots walked down the hall.

"These are your quarters. You're welcome to stay until your mobile suit is fixed," said the Captain as Veronica walked into the room. She looked around taking in everything and dropped her suitcase on the bed.

"Do you need to go to the infirmary?"

"Nah. I'll be OK. I heal fast."

"If you say so. If you like I can arrange a tour for you."

"Sure," said Veronica. "I would like to get out of this space suit first though."

"Of course. I'll send Lieutenant Lamar down. Is 5 minutes enough time?"

"Yeah."

"Well I hope you enjoy your stay." With that the captain left the room and the door slid shut.

_Well he seems nice._ Said Pepper as he jumped off her shoulder and landed on the bed.

"We'll see," said Veronica as she took off her gun, swords, and space suit. "I'm still not going to trust them to much. You know what happened the last time I trusted someone."

_Yeah._

She opened her suitcase and pulled out a tight black tee shirt, a pair of black cargo pants, and a pair of black boots.

_Maybe you should heal your wounds._

"Wouldn't that make them suspicious? Me having cuts and then not having cut?"

_Well at least stop the bleeding._

"Alright." She walked over to the other side of the bed and looked in the mirror hanging on the wall. She placed a hand in front of her face and a yellow light came out of her fingers and the cuts on her face stopped bleeding. "Maybe I should clean up."

_That might be a good idea._ Said Pepper.

She walked into the bathroom in the back right corner. It wasn't very big, enough room to fit a toilet and a sink. She turned the water on and washed her face and arms. Then she walked out and put her cloths on, strapped her gun on her right thigh, sheathed a knife in her boot, put her swords on her back, and put on her black jacket with the word "Dragon" on the back. Just then the bell rang. She walked over to the door and pushed a button and the door slid open. A young man with light brown hair, dark brown eyes, and wearing a military uniform stood in the doorway.

"I'm Lieutenant Adam Lamar. I'm your tour guide," said Lt. Lamar. "By the way what's your name?"

"My name's Veronica McCloud."

"Well Miss McCloud you look like you're ready for a battle, not a tour."

"I don't trust many people. And the Girl Scout motto is "be prepared"."

"I'll take your word for it," he said with a smile. "Well if you're ready we can go."

"Yeah I'm ready."

"Great, lets go."

She walked out the door, pushed a button and the door slid shut. He directed her down the hall.

"We'll start with the bridge. If that's OK with you," said Lt. Lamar.

"Yeah, that sounds good," responded Veronica as they walked down the hall.

Spooky: Okay that was a little boring. It'll get better I promise. But I need reviews!


	2. Chapter 2

Spooky: All right here's the second chapter. This one's for Showndra Ridge. Thank you for reviewing. To answer your question, she has psychic powers so she can protect the people on the ship or mobile suit. I don't own Gundam Wing just myself. All the standard warnings apply. Don't read later chapters unless you're sure you can handle it.

5:05 P.M.

"Well that's all of the ship. Except the restricted areas and the air ducts," Said Lt. Lamar as him and Veronica stood outside her door. "I hope you found the tour informative."

"Yep. Now I'll be able to find my way around the ship," Said Veronica.

"Great. Well I've got to get back to my post. I'll see you around."

"Yeah, see ya." Said Veronica as he walked off down the hall. She opened the door and Pepper came up to her.

_How was the tour? _Asked Pepper.

"Great. I know every inch of the ship now."

_That could come in handy._

"Yeah. Listen I'm going to the gym want to come with me?"

_Nah. I think I'll wander around the ship for a while._ Said Pepper coming out of the room.

"OK, I'll see you around." Then she shut the door and they went off in opposite directions.

5:10 P.M.

She walked into the gym and found it almost empty. "Guess they don't exercise much." She hung her jacket on a hanger and walked over to the mat. The Gundam pilots watched amazed as she went through her gymnastic routine. She ran and flipped through the air.

"Man, she's good," said Duo.

Then she unsheathed her swords and started fighting the air.

"Hey, maybe she could use a partner," said Quatre to Wufei. Wufei looked at Quatre. "Well you're good with a sword, right?" Wufei raised an eyebrow at Quatre then walked over to her.

"Need a partner?" asked Wufei.

Veronica looked at him suspiciously. "Sure."

Wufei walked onto the mat and unsheathed his sword.

"Do you want me to fight with both of my swords or just one?" asked Veronica.

"Which ever you prefer."

"You'll be sorry you said that," said Veronica smiling wickedly.

"I can handle it," said Wufei.

She shrugged and went into a fighting pose. Wufei gripped his sword tightly and came at her hard and fast. Veronica blocked and parried every attack. They fought for 10 minutes. Then Wufei slammed his sword down on hers and she had to use both swords to keep him at bay. _Man, he's good._ Thought Veronica as she grunted with the effort. _Maybe I should use my psychic powers._ She pushed him away and went at him. Wufei jumped back surprised by her viciousness. She was incredibly fast and strong. _I better use the same tactics as her if I'm going to have a chance._ Thought Wufei. They fought for 5 more minutes. Then Wufei slammed one of her swords so hard that it flew out of her hand. He slashed at her but she recovered quickly and jumped back. The sword missed her by inches. She gripped the sword tightly as they fought, almost evenly matched. _He's better with one sword than I am._ Thought Veronica. _I could lose this fight and that'll show them I'm real tough._ She came at him and slammed her sword down on his. Both swords went flying. They both held their wrists as the pain from the shock ran up and down their arms. All three swords had been knocked out of the area of the mat.

"I think that counts as a draw!" called Duo from the sidelines.

"It isn't over yet," growled Veronica. She leaped at Wufei and brought her fist up to punch him. He blocked and brought his knee up into her stomach. She crumpled and he brought entwined fists down on her back. She fell to the floor gasping for air. Wufei went down to pin her but she rolled out of the way and quickly got to her feet. She held a hand to her stomach and her breathing was heavy. Wufei got up and ran at her and tried to punch her in the face. She blocked and countered. Then she punched him in the face. He jumped back, lip bleeding. Veronica went and tried to punch him in the stomach. But she was unfocused and he kicked at her feet. Her feet flew out from under her and she landed on her stomach. Wufei got on top of her, slid his arms under her armpits and pulled. Her arms stretched out to the sides and were completely useless.

"Give up!" Wufei hissed in her ear.

"NO!" yelled Veronica.

"Give up!" said Wufei and he pulled harder.

Pain shot through her arms and down her back. She gritted her teeth and tried to concentrate. But she couldn't.

"Alright!" cried Veronica. "Alright, I give up."

Wufei let her go and stood up. She sat on her hands and knees panting and sweating. _Damn!_ Veronica thought as she slammed her fist down on the mat. She stood up and looked Wufei in the eye. _I hate anyone who beats me._ Thought Veronica. _But, I wasn't using my psychic powers. So I'll give him credit._ She stuck her hand out. He took it and they shook.

"You're a good fighter," Said Wufei.

"Thanks," Said Veronica. She smiled. _But next time I'll kick your ass._ Thought Veronica. She walked off the mat and stooped to get her swords. She tossed Wufei his sword; he caught it and sheathed it. Veronica sheathed her swords and walked over to grab her jacket.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" asked Quatre.

"Teachers at the colony where I was born," said Veronica plainly.

"You're a vicious fighter," Said Trowa.

"So," she sneered. "When you've lived my life you have to fight like that. Fight or be screwed."

That shocked them into silence. Quatre recovered first.

"Could you teach me some hand-to-hand?" asked Quatre.

"It's not something that can be taught," said Veronica.

"But you said you learned how to fight at the colony," said Duo.

"I learned how to fight there, but not with that viciousness."

"Then where did the viciousness come from?" asked Heero.

"There's no need to be vicious unless the universe is out to get you," she said calmly.

"_Is_ the universe out to get you?" asked Quatre carefully.

She thought for a moment, as if trying to decide whether it was or not. She sighed. "I can't tell you. You wouldn't understand anyway," she said softly. And for a moment Quatre saw her soft side. But the next instant it was gone. Her face-hardened and the emotion went out of her eyes.

"I have to go start fixing Darkstar," she said. Just then her watch beeped. She looked at it then walked over to a computer terminal. She pressed a few buttons and an artificial voice came on. "Veronica?"

"Yeah, I'm here," Said Veronica.

"I've got the damage report done. If you want to hear it," said Darkstar.

"No. Just tell me how long we're going to have to be here."

"I just have an estimate. But I can find the exact number of days, if you want me to."

"No that's OK, the estimate will do."

"OK. We're going to need 6 days, at least, until we can leave. 10 days if you want everything repaired."

"Shit," muttered Veronica. "Are you sure we can't cut down the time?"

"No. We can't cut the time unless you want to risk breaking down in the middle of nowhere."

"That wouldn't be good. How long will it take if we want to fix everything?" asked Veronica.

"2 weeks. If you want _everything_ fixed," responded Darkstar.

"2 WEEKS!" exclaimed Veronica. "We can't stay here that long! Valren and Bren could track us here by then! And I really don't want to be caught by them again."

"I don't know about that. We left them in pretty bad shape. We should be safe for a while."

"Still I don't like taking chances. And I don't want to get any more people hurt," said Veronica shaking her head.

"So, what do we do?" asked Darkstar.

"We repair you to the point that we can make it to Earth. Then we leave."

"Alright. I'll get a list of stuff to repair ready."

"Great. Make sure it's the least amount of repairs we have to do."

"Right. Darkstar out."

Veronica shut down the computer and went back over to the Gundam pilots. She grabbed her jacket and put it on. "Gotta go," she said.

"Do you need any help?" asked Heero.

She thought for a minute. And they saw an inward look, as if she was fighting with herself. "No. But thanks any way." With that she left the gym.

Spooky: Okay there's the second chapter. If you review I'll put up more. I promise it'll get better. Keep in mind I wrote this along time ago.


	3. Chapter 3

Spooky: Well you asked for it, and here it is! This chapter's for Natasha Radinov. Cool name, she was so cool. Okay so I've only seen like three episodes of GunSmith Cats but she's still cool. I had my hair cut like hers for a while!

Chibi scythe-weilding bat Duo: There you are!

Spooky: Argh! I thought I had lost you!

CSWB Duo: No way baby!

Spooky: (grits teeth)

CSWB Duo: (looks around) So this is where you go when you're not in the limbo.

Spooky: Would you be quiet.

CSWB Duo: Only if I can stay.

Spooky: Fine. Just be quiet. Anyway, You will know more about her past soon! I promise. There's a little bit in this chapter but there's in later chapters. You have to understand there's not much romance right now because she doesn't trust _anybody_. Well I've kept you long enough. Here's the story!

10:35 P.M.

Veronica walked into her room took off her jacket, swords, gun, and boots then flopped down on the bed. "Man I am exhausted," said Veronica out loud.

_I bet you are._ Came a mental response from outside the door. _Now let me in._

"Huh?" _Who the hell could be in my mind?_ Thought Veronica. _The only people who could be in my mind are the other kids. So who…?_

_Pepper. That's who the hell it is._ Came the mental response. _Now let me in. I don't like sitting around with all these people walking down the hall. _

Veronica let out a huge sigh. Then she used her mental powers to open the door. Pepper trotted in and she shut the door.

"Boy Pepper, I'm glad it's you," said Veronica.

_Who else could it be?_ said Pepper as he jumped into her lap.

"I thought maybe Valren had planted someone on the ship," said Veronica as she petted him.

_That wouldn't be good._

"No kidding." Veronica thought for a minute.

_You should probably get some sleep._ Suggested Pepper.

"Yeah. I'll do that," said Veronica. Then she put Pepper on the bed, stood up, and went to get her pj's on.

Veronica felt the 2 by 4 slam into her stomach. Pain ripped through her head. She clutched her stomach and fell to the floor. Someone grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to her feet. A fist slammed into her face, she felt blood run down her face.

Veronica's eyes flew open and she sat right up. She gasped for breath. Sweat ran down her face. _Where am I?_ Thought Veronica, panicking. She looked around the room. It was still dark. She looked to her right and saw the outline of the couch and the red glow of the clock. _Oh that's right. I'm on the Mars5._ She thought with relief. She looked at the clock again. It read 8:02 A.M. _I had better get up._ She pushed a button on the bedside table and the lights came on. She got out of bed and stretched. Her muscles were sore as if the dream had been real.

_It has been before._ Said Pepper.

"Yeah," said Veronica. "Just 3 days ago."

Pepper watched her stretch. _You know I noticed something. The bathroom doesn't have a shower._

"There's a co-ed bathroom down the hall." Veronica grabbed some new cloths.

_I bet you'll like that._ said Pepper teasing her.

Veronica rolled her eyes and headed for the door.

8:36 A.M.

Veronica sat alone at a table in the mess hall. She had her laptop open and was eating French toast and a breakfast shake. She stopped eating to type in her laptop. Then frowned. Quatre came up to her table. She didn't notice. Then she looked up and was startled to see him standing there.

"Uh…hi," said Veronica surprised.

"Hi," said Quatre smiling. He was wearing a red long sleeve shirt with a blue vest and kaki pants. The sleeves on his shirt were rolled up to his elbows.

"Have a seat." She indicated the seat across the table.

"Thanks," said Quatre sitting down. "I saw you sitting by yourself and thought you might like some company."

"Thanks. But you're wasting your time," said Veronica plainly, going back to her work.

"Oh," said Quatre quietly.

She looked at him. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"No, you didn't," said Quatre quickly. "You're just so anti-social, it…surprised me."

"It's the way I am," she said matter-of-fact. Then went back to typing.

Quatre just sat at the table with her.

_How come I'm so nervous?_ Thought Veronica. Her hands started to shake, but she forced herself to concentrate. _Darkstar needs to be fixed. I need to concentrate on that. If I trust Quatre or anyone else I could end up getting hurt. Like with Bren._ Her dream flashed through her mind. She shook her head to try to clear it.

"Are you OK?" asked Quatre concerned.

"I'm fine," said Veronica putting a hand to her head.

"You don't look fine."

"I'll be fine. Really." She shut down the laptop and stood up. For a second the world spun in front of her eyes. She blinked rapidly and shook her head. Then grabbed her laptop and went out the door. Quatre followed her. She headed for the shuttle bay.

"Maybe you should lie down," said Quatre worried.

"I'll be fine. I just need to get back to work."

"I know you're anti-social, but could you at least let me help?"

"Yeah. I could use the help," said Veronica as she opened the door to the shuttle bay. They floated over to her mobile suit. She pushed a button on the mobile suit and the door opened. She floated in and Quatre followed.

"Wow. This looks a lot like a Gundam."

"My brother designed it," said Veronica softly.

"Is your brother dead?"

"No. He's just… I can't tell you."

Quatre nodded in understanding.

Veronica walked over and sat in the control chair. She flipped a switch and the power came on. She typed in a few commands and a list appeared on the screen.

"That's the list of repairs we have to finish," said Darkstar. Quatre jumped, surprised.

"_This_ is what we have to do?" asked Veronica shocked.

"Yes."

"But this will take at least 5 days to fix!"

"Then we better get started," said Darkstar.

Veronica scowled at the computer then floated out of the chair over to the wall behind the chair. She crouched down and pulled a panel off the wall near the floor. It looked like a duct. Veronica crawled inside and flipped over onto her back.

"Hey Quatre!" she called.

"Yes?"

"Could you hand me a flat blade screwdriver? It's in a tool box."

"Where's it at?" asked Quatre.

"Shoot. Darkstar would you tell Quatre where the toolbox is?"

"Turn around and there's a control panel with a yellow button on it," said Darkstar to Quatre.

Quatre turned around. "This one?" he asked as he pointed to the panel.

"Yes. That's the one."

Quatre pushed the yellow button and a panel slid back. He pulled out a red toolbox. "It's red, right?" he asked as he pulled it out.

"Yep," said Veronica.

Quatre brought the toolbox over and set it down at her feet. Then he opened it. There were two pictures inside the toolbox lid. One was a picture of her and a black haired boy. The other was of her and a woman with brown hair in a ponytail, a man with light brown hair, and a boy of about 17 with sandy blonde hair.

"Who's in these pictures?" asked Quatre.

"Just a sec," said Veronica starting to scoot out of the duct. Quatre heard a bang. "Ouch! Crap that hurt." Then she crawled out.

"Are you OK?" asked Quatre.

"Yeah, I just banged my head," said Veronica rubbing her head. "Now what pictures?"

"These ones. In the toolbox lid," said Quatre pointing to picture.

"Oh those," said Veronica quietly. She pointed to the picture with the black haired boy. "That's my best friend Mike. Those are my parents. Amy and Dan," She said pointing to the other picture. "And my brother Nick."

"How come you're on your own if you have parents?" asked Quatre.

"It's a long story," sighed Veronica. She grabbed a screwdriver and slid back into the duct. They worked on Darkstar for 3 hours before taking a break.

Spooky: Well that's it for now. Review and I'll post more!

CSWB Duo: Review or I'll send Jenny after you!

Spooky: You, (grabs CSWB Duo by the hair) OUT!

CSWB Duo: Hey leggo! That hurts!

Spooky: (tosses him into a portal back into limbo) And just stay there! Sheesh.


	4. Chapter 4

Spooky: Okay this chapter's for Nerv Death. I spelled that right, right? Anyway here's the story I hope everyone enjoys it.

11:27 A.M.

"I think that's enough work for today, at least until after lunch," said Veronica shutting a panel on Darkstars outer hull.

"You're the hardest working person I know," said Quatre. "Except maybe Heero."

"Thanks," said Veronica as they floated over to the door.

"Do you want to come to lunch with us?" asked Quatre as they walked down the hall.

Veronica thought for a second. "Sure."

They walked into the lounge and saw the other Gundam pilots. Duo and Trowa were playing a pool game. Heero and Wufei were lounging on the chairs watching them.

"Trowa is kicking your ass," said Wufei.

"Shut up," said Duo as Quatre and Veronica walked up.

"Where were you guys?" asked Heero.

"I was helping her fix her mobile suit," said Quatre.

"Owning a mobile suit is against the law," said Wufei.

Veronica tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder. "You wanna make something of it?" Her blue eyes blazed with the challenge. Wufei held her gaze calmly.

"I was just pointing it out," he said coolly.

"I know they were outlawed," she sneered. "But it's hard to find other means of transportation when you're being chased from Earth to Neptune and back."

They all looked at her. "Who's chasing you?" asked Trowa.

"DC corp.," answered Veronica.

"You mean Demilitarized Cooperation Corp?" asked Quatre.

"Demilitarized Cooperation? You mean Desolate Control Corp.," she said disgusted.

"Why would they be chasing you?" asked Duo.

"Because I'm classified. And they don't want me loose."

"Why are you classified?" asked Heero.

Veronica looked around the room. She looked like something was going to jump her. There was no one else in the lounge. She looked at each of them in turn with narrowed eyes. Then she sighed. "Because of this." She stretched out her right arm and concentrated. The glass of water on the pool table floated a foot in the air. Then she set it back down. They all looked at her amazed.

"It was a trick," said Heero calmly.

Veronica sighed. "It wasn't a trick."

"So show us again," said Duo.

Veronica concentrated and the glass floated again. Duo stuck one hand under the glass and one hand over the glass.

"There's nothing under or over it," he said.

"But that's impossible," said Wufei.

"Apparently not," said Trowa calmly.

Duo grabbed the glass and examined it. "If it was broken could you put it back to together?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?" said Veronica.

Duo dropped the glass. It shattered into a million pieces.

"Why did you do that?" asked Heero annoyed.

"I wanted to see if she could put it back together!" said Duo.

Veronica sighed and crouched down. She picked up a piece of glass and examined it. Then all the pieces floated in the air. They came together and were a perfect glass again. She grabbed the glass and handed it to Duo. Then the water came out of the carpet and went into the glass.

"You might not want to drink that." Veronica advised Duo.

They all looked at her amazed.

"How did you do that?" asked Quatre.

"I'm a psychic."

"There's no such thing," said Wufei.

Veronica shrugged. "It's what I am. You can believe it or not."

"Have you had these powers all your life?" asked Trowa.

"Yes. But they were given to me."

"What do you mean, 'given'?" asked Heero.

"The leader of DC Corp gave my mom an injection while she was pregnant with me. It made me have these powers. But I've said to much already."

"That was amazing. Can you do more?" asked Duo.

"Yeah, but not here. And I wouldn't call it amazing."

"Why not?" asked Quatre.

"Well most people think it's weird or frightening. And I've been called a freak more than once." Her voice was hard and her hands were balled into fists.

Quatre put a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have any friends do you?"

Veronica shook off his hand. "I don't want your sympathy."

"Well how about our friend ship?" asked Duo.

Veronica looked at him sadly then shook her head. "I can't have friends. Not anymore."

"But why can't you?" asked Quatre.

"I just can't. Okay," said Veronica. She felt tears welling up. She swallowed them back. "I've gotta go."

"You will join us for lunch right?" asked Quatre.

"Yeah, I will. I said I would," said Veronica hoarsely. Then she left the lounge.

"Well she seems nice," said Duo sarcastically.

"It's not her fault she's anti social. Someone hurt her," said Quatre.

"What makes you think that?" asked Heero.

"Well, did you see the look in her eyes? And her scars?" asked Quatre.

They all nodded.

"I think she was beat," said Quatre.

Heero nodded. "Who do you think it was?"

Quatre shrugged.

"All the more reason to make friends with her," said Duo.

"Knowing you, you'd probably scare her off," said Wufei.

Duo glared at him. "Well I'm still gonna try."

Quatre shook his head. "I think you should leave her alone."

"Do you think so?" asked Duo.

Quatre nodded.

Duo shrugged. "If you say so."

11:40 A.M.

Veronica flopped down on her bed and felt the tears well up. _Big girls don't cry._ She told herself.

_Actually girls do cry,_ said Pepper.

Veronica glared at him as he jumped onto the bed. Then she buried her head in her pillow. Pepper lay down next to her. Veronica rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I wish I could have friends," said Veronica.

_You could. Those boys could be your friends,_ said Pepper.

"I can't," said Veronica. "I could end up getting hurt again."

_Then tell them about Bren. Tell them about your parents being kidnapped and you being beat. Tell them about your psychic powers. _

"But what if they hurt me?"

_They saved the world and brought peace to the colonies! I don't think they would do that and then turn around and hurt you._

"Yeah. But I think I'll get to know them before I trust them," said Veronica. Pepper just curled up on the bed. Veronica sighed.

12:05 P.M.

Veronica walked through the doors to the mess hall. Quatre waved her over.

"Have a seat," said Duo

Veronica smiled and sat down next to Quatre. "What's for lunch?" she asked.

"Spaghetti," said Trowa.

"How are you going to eat it?" asked Veronica.

Trowa just looked at her.

"He doesn't talk much," said Duo.

"Ooh. Mystery man," Veronica teased.

Trowa just went back to reading the paper.

Veronica sighed.

"So why did you leave us so suddenly?" asked Duo

"I, uh, had some stuff to finish," said Veronica thinking of an excuse.

Quatre cocked his head. "What kind of stuff?"

"Just stuff," Said Veronica waving her hand absently.

Quatre saw something flash through her eyes. But it was gone before he could tell what it was. _I have to find out if somebody beat her._ He thought seriously.

Duo, Wufei, Heero, and Trowa were talking about their battles with OZ. Veronica was listening with interest. Quatre decided to wait to talk about it. He joined in the conversation, which had turned to Wing ZERO and how each of them had gone crazy.

1:02 P.M.

An hour later they were all done with lunch and were just talking.

"And so Heero shot the complex and got inside. That's all of the story I know," said Duo.

"Wow. Cool," said Veronica amazed.

"Yep, it was a pretty awesome battle," said Duo. Everyone fell silent.

"Um, Veronica?" said Quatre.

"Yes?" she said looking at him.

"Were you beaten?" he asked.

Everyone looked at him in shock. Veronica narrowed her eyes.

"Who told you that?" she asked suspiciously.

"No one," said Quatre. "I just guessed, I mean you have that scar."

Veronica stood up suddenly. "Just because I have a scar doesn't mean I was beaten," She said angrily.

"No of course not," said Quatre. She had said it funny. Quatre knew she was lying.

_He knows I'm lying._ Thought Veronica. She used her psychic powers to read his mind. He didn't know, of course.

_She's lying._ She could hear Quatre's thoughts in her head. _I want to know what happened but I don't want to push it. Maybe I'll ask her later._

Veronica relaxed a little. She sat back down. The pilots looked at her curiously. She could feel their prying eyes waiting for an answer.

"Were you beaten or not?" asked Heero.

Veronica looked him in the eye and read his mind. _She doesn't have to tell us who did it, just if she was beaten or not. _

She sighed. "I've just had a hard past three years."

They didn't push. Veronica stood up. "I've gotta go," she said. Then headed for the door.

Quatre came up to her as she walked out the door. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"I was thinking of fixing Darkstar some more," Veronica replied.

"I'll help," said Quatre cheerfully. "I mean if you want me to help."

Veronica stopped walking and looked at him. His blue eyes sparkled. _Damn it. He has such kind eyes._ She thought. "Yeah, you can help." Quatre smiled. For the first time in a long time Veronica smiled fully. They continued on down the hall.

Spooky: That's it for now. If you review I'll post more like always. (Mumbles) Now I gotta figure out how to keep chibi scythe-wielding bat Duo outta here. Anyway I've been reading "Fire Starter" by Stephen King and it turns out that this story is a lot like it. I hadn't even started reading Stephen King books when I started daydreaming about this about a year and a half ago. So you see, I did start it along time ago!


	5. Chapter 5

Spooky: All right this chapter's for Showndra Ridge. Also I would like to clear some things up. I started daydreaming about this story almost two years ago but I didn't start writing it until eight months later, and then I got it onto the computer. So I have a lot of it on the computer but I'm actually still writing it, mostly because I'm lazy. So this story is quite long. And just a couple weeks ago I thought about posting it. I hope that cleared some things. Also I hadn't even heard of fanfiction until about a year and four months ago. So there's my excuse!

4:13 P.M.

Veronica and Quatre were inside Darkstar taking a break from fixing him. Veronica was sitting in the control chair and Quatre was standing next to her. The conversation had just run out.

_I guess now would be as good a time as any to ask her about being beat._ Thought Quatre. "So were you really beat?" he asked.

She looked at him funny. "You are curious aren't you?"

Quatre blushed. "Well I, uh, I just…"

"If you really want to know I'll tell you." _Or maybe I shouldn't._ She thought worriedly.

"Well I would like to know," said Quatre softly.

Veronica looked into his eyes. They were the most beautiful blue she had ever seen. She saw that he was worried about her. Veronica found herself being pulled into his eyes. She couldn't look away. Quatre's brow creased in worry. Veronica realized she had been staring. She blushed then looked away.

"Are you okay?" asked Quatre concerned.

"Yeah I'm okay," said Veronica awkwardly.

Quatre nodded but didn't say anything. _He wants to know but he won't push._ Thought Veronica. _I guess I'll trust him, to a certain degree. _"Yeah, I was beat."

Quatre nodded again, but didn't seem surprised.

"You don't seem surprised."

"I kind of figured you were beat."

"How did you figure that out?"

"By the way you act. And by the look in your eyes."

Veronica cocked her head. "And the scars?"

Quatre looked sheepish. "Yeah, that helped."

"You care about me, don't you?" said Veronica emotionally.

Quatre blushed. "Yeah I do."

Veronica looked surprised.

"You look surprised," said Quatre.

"I just, I've…no one's cared about me for a long time," said Veronica sorrowfully.

"That's horrible."

"You get used to it."

"You shouldn't have to," said Quatre.

She snorted. "Life's a bitch."

Quatre was, to say the least, taken aback. "It doesn't have to be."

"Then why am I here?" asked Veronica. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "Tell me, Quatre, why am I here?" She looked desperate.

Quatre was a little frightened. He pulled her hands off his shoulders. Veronica blushed.

"Sorry," said Veronica composing herself.

"That's okay," said Quatre shakily.

"No, I, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" she asked concerned.

Quatre nodded rapidly. Veronica stood up. When she stood up her and Quatre were only a few inches apart. She looked into his eyes and felt like she was in a dream. His eyes were big and kind and let her in. Quatre leaned forward their lips were almost touching. Then Quatre put a hand on her waist. Reality came crashing down. Veronica pulled away blushing. Quatre blinked as if he was in a dream. Then he blushed. Veronica put a hand to her heart looking disoriented.

_Man my heart is beating fast._ Thought Veronica.

"That was, I mean I …" stuttered Quatre.

"Yeah. That was…I, you…" Veronica stuttered.

Just then there was a loud knock on the hatch. Veronica jumped surprised. She floated over to the door and opened it. Heero and Duo stood at the door. Veronica looked confused.

"Howdy," said Duo. "Is Quatre there?"

"I'm right here," said Quatre floating over to the door.

"We're going to the gym," said Heero.

"Yeah we're going to build up an appetite for dinner," said Duo. "We were wondering if you wanted to come."

"Sure," said Quatre. He looked at Veronica. "You can come, if you want."

"Maybe in a little bit," answered Veronica. Quatre smiled. Veronica tried to smile back. It was a small smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"See ya later," said Quatre as they floated off.

"Yeah later," said Veronica watching them float away. She floated back to the chair and sat down.

"Well that was interesting," said Darkstar.

Veronica jumped. "Don't do that!" she scolded.

"It's my job."

"Dumb AI," Veronica muttered.

"You love him. Don't you?"

"No I don't," said Veronica quickly.

"Yeah right," said Darkstar chuckling.

Veronica glared at him. Then she powered him down. She floated out of the mobile suit and closed the door. Then she floated over to the air lock door. She opened the door and walked down the hall to her room. When she got to her room she sat down at the table and opened her laptop. The first thing she did was check her email. There were two new messages. The return address on both of them was DC Corp. _Oh crap._ She thought. She opened the most recent one. It read:

Veronica it's me Nick. Valren is pissed that you escaped.

He's searching for you right now. If you're wondering

about how I was able to send this message I knocked

out the guards and snuck in here. I don't know how

much time I have before they find me so I better hurry.

I miss you a lot. Please come and rescue us they've been

beating me lately. But don't worry. I'll be fine. I love you

Nick

Veronica felt tears well up. Her brother was paying the price for her escape. _What do I do?_ She thought desperately. _He's so brave. But they could beat him to death. I better open the other email._ She opened it. It read:

That was a mistake to escape. Your brother will pay

the price. If you want to see him alive then meet Bren

on Earth in six days. I trust you can get the coordinates.

If you don't come I can't guarantee his safety. I look

forward to your next beating. Maybe I'll even let you

heal yourself, if you come willingly.

Valren

"Damn him!" whispered Veronica.

_He'll probably go to Hell anyway._ Pepper's voice was in her head. _Now let me in._

Veronica used her psychic powers to open the door. Pepper came trotting in. _You got an email from Valren, didn't you?_ Veronica nodded. A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. _What did it say?_ asked Pepper.

"He said that if I didn't meet Bren on Earth in six days he'd kill Nick," she sobbed. "But if I go they'll beat me." She buried her face in her hands and cried.

_There, there._ Said Pepper rubbing against her. _Maybe if you go workout you'll feel better._

"Yeah maybe," said Veronica wiping her eyes. She got up and grabbed her swords. "Maybe practicing will help." She clenched her fists.

_There's something else, isn't there?_

Veronica nodded. "I, I got an email from Nick."

_What did it say?_

"He knocked out the guards and was able to get the message to me. But they've been beating him. And now they're going to beat him even more!"

_That's terrible! We have to save them!_

"But we can't Darkstar's not finished! We can't go anywhere!"

_Sorry. Guess I forgot._ Said Pepper sheepishly.

Veronica rolled her eyes then went out the door.

4:45 P.M.

Veronica walked into the gym and immediately saw the G-Boys working out. Heero was wearing his green tank top and his black spandex shorts. Trowa was wearing blue shorts, no shirt. Duo was wearing black pants and a black tee shirt. Wufei was wearing his dark teal tank top and white pants. Quatre was wearing a white tee shirt and loose, blue, jean shorts. Veronica walked over to where Quatre was doing pull ups. She could see that he was counting to himself so she didn't disturb him. Finally he stopped.

"That was more than a little while," said Quatre.

"I got a couple emails," said Veronica as she jumped up and grabbed the bar.

Quatre nodded and watched as she began doing pull ups. She effortlessly did a hundred pull ups then dropped down.

"What were they about?" asked Quatre.

"Well one was from my brother."

"What was it about?"

"Just stuff," said Veronica casually.

_She's lying._ Thought Quatre. _But I won't push it._

The other pilots walked up to them.

"That was longer than 'a little bit'," said Duo. "What were you doing?"

"None of your business," Veronica snapped. Then she blushed. "Sorry."

"That's okay," said Duo.

"You seem to be on edge," said Trowa.

"Yeah I am. An email I got from my brother really upset me," said Veronica.

"What did it say?" asked Duo.

"I can't tell you."

"Oh," said Duo. "Well we're going to be playing cards after dinner and I was wondering if you would like to join us."

"I'd love to," said Veronica with a smile.

"Great! We're playing in my quarters tonight," said Duo.

"Okay I'll come over after dinner."

Then they went back to there routines.

"I'll teach you some hand-to-hand. If you still want to," said Veronica to Quatre.

"Yeah I'd like that," said Quatre smiling.

"Okay lets go." Then they walked over to the mat and started the lesson.

Spooky: That's all folks! Agh! I've got to get away from my muses! Well review and I'll put up more!


	6. Chapter 6

Spooky: Well here it is chapter six! This one's for Shadow Fox thanks for reviewing.

Voice: Come on guys I'll show you where she hangs out when she's not in Spooky's realm.

Voice 2&3: Cool!

Spooky: Agh! Chibi scythe-wielding bat Duo! You stay out!

CSWB Duo: Aaawww come on. I just wanted to show Jenny and Vixy this place.

Jenny (a tiger): So this is where you hang out.

Vixy (an orange striped cat): Kind of small.

Spooky: Get out all of you! This is an angst fic not humor!

CSWB Duo & Jenny & Vixy: But we're your pals!

Spooky: Argh!

CSWB Duo: (in British accent) Good help is sooo hard to find these days.

Vixy: Who is your muse for angst fics?

(Suddenly a huge pure black horse with red eyes appears)

CSWB Duo: Eep! It's the black horse of anger!

Vixy: Don't be stupid. It's Asar (1).

Jenny: Are you a muse?  
Asar: (has a deep voice) Yes.

Spooky: _That_ explains my weird ideas.

CSWB Duo: She doesn't own anything. Just herself, Jenny, Vixy, and Asar.

Asar: Here's the story.

8:17 P.M.

Veronica sat at her table typing on her laptop.

_Are you going to play cards with the Gundam pilots tonight?_ Asked Pepper.

"Yeah, as soon as I'm done here I'm going over to Duo quarters," replied Veronica still typing. She stopped typing and looked at the screen then started typing again. Pepper watched her type for five minutes then she shut down her laptop.

"Well, I better get going," said Veronica getting up from the table.

_When do you think you'll be back?_ asked Pepper.

Veronica shrugged. "Midnight, maybe later."

_Uh huh._ said Pepper disapprovingly.

"Look, you're not my mother. You can't tell me what to do."

Pepper gave a long, suffering sigh.

"Besides, you're the one who told me to get together with them. You should be happy that I'm getting to know them."

_I know, I know!_ said Pepper frustrated. _But please be back before 2:30. You still have to finish Darkstar._

"Yeah I remember. I know I'll be back before 2:30." And with that she left the room.

8:30 P.M.

Veronica rang the bell to Duo's quarters. "It's open." Came Duo's response. Veronica pushed a button and the door opened. She walked inside and saw all the Gundam pilots sitting at a table.

"Have a seat," said Duo indicating an empty seat next to Quatre.

"Thanks," said Veronica sitting down. "So, what are we playing?"

"Poker," answered Trowa simply.

"Do you guys bet or anything?" asked Veronica.

"We use pennies. But nobody keeps them. It's mostly for fun," said Duo.

"Although I could use the extra money," said Heero glaring at Duo.

"Hey! I don't have any money to spare!" said Duo raising his hands defensively.

"Can we just play?" said Wufei getting annoyed.

"Right," said Duo. "I'll be dealer first." He shuffled the cards then started dealing them out.

11:30 P.M.

"I think I've had enough poker," said Duo as Heero took the pile of pennies on the table. Heero had been the big winner. With Veronica in second, Quatre fourth, Wufei fifth, and Duo was the worst.

"I can see why you are short of cash and want to quite," said Veronica.

"Quite whining. If you don't want to play anymore than drop out," said Wufei who was annoyed at losing to the "weaklings" as he called them. "I can't believe I'm losing to an woman." He mumbled.

"What did you say?" asked Veronica who put a hand to her ear.

"I said I can't believe I am losing to a weak woman!"

Veronica smiled in triumph. Wufei glared at her.

"I don't want to drop out! I just want to take a snack break," said Duo. "Then we can come back."

"We don't need a snack break!" said Wufei slamming his fist down on the table.

"Well why don't we? We can come right back," said Quatre timidly.

"Fine," Grumbled Wufei.

"Great! I'll go get some stuff from the kitchen," said Duo jumping up and walking out the door.

Quatre went over and turned on the TV then sat down on the couch. Heero pulled out his laptop. Trowa and Wufei stayed at the table while they watched the news. Veronica walked over to the couch.

"Can I sit here?" she asked timidly.

"Sure," said Quatre smiling. Veronica sat down.

"In colony news, the colony 06E is half finished," said a female reporter on the TV. "The colony was destroyed in the AC 195 war. The Winner family started rebuilding it two weeks after the war. With their vast assets they hope to complete it by the end of this year or sooner."

Veronica looked at Quatre questioningly.

"During the war I destroyed it," said Quatre blushing. "I figured it was my duty to rebuild it."

"How did you destroy a whole colony?" asked Veronica.

"With Wing Zero."

"Quatre. Don't give her any more information," said Heero not looking up from his laptop.

"Why not? The war's over and she's not an enemy," said Quatre.

"Because that's classified information," answered Heero.

"It doesn't matter. I already know about the Gundams Wing Zero, and the ZERO system," said Veronica casually.

"Most people know what the Gundams are and could guess that Wing Zero was a Gundam. Just because you know that doesn't mean we're going to give you the information," Wufei sneered.

"The ZERO system enhances the abilities of the pilot who uses it. Quatre has the ZERO in him and it was installed in Wing Zero," said Veronica. "It made Quatre go crazy because he already had the system in him, so it caused an overload. The ZERO system tells the future of the pilot who's in it. Of course it is only one of many possible futures, so it really isn't telling the future. More like making a guess."

They all gaped at her. Just then Duo walked in with two big sacks. "I'm back!" announced Duo. He plopped down on the floor and emptied the sacks. Inside the sacks were two bags of chips, three bags of popcorn, sausage, cheddar cheese, and Club crackers. Quatre was still gaping at Veronica.

"Hey, why is everybody looking at Veronica?" asked Duo.

"She knows about the ZERO system," said Heero suspiciously.

"Really? How much?" asked Duo.

"Enough," growled Wufei.

"How do you know all that?" asked Quatre.

Veronica shrugged. "I read your mind, and Heero's. Plus Darkstar has a similar system."

"You can read minds?" asked Duo.

"Oops," Veronica whispered.

"Show me," said Duo getting excited.

"I shouldn't," said Veronica getting nervous. _Oh shit. I can't believe I said that._

"Sure you can. Just tell me what I'm thinking."

Veronica chewed on her bottom lip.

"Don't force her," said Quatre.

Duo watched her in anticipation. Veronica sighed. She concentrated and heard his thoughts. _This is getting weirder all the time._ "You have no idea," Said Veronica

There was a new reporter on the TV .He was talking about DC Corp. "Valren, the founder of DC Corp., is helping rebuild the colony 06E and other colonies and resource satellites that were destroyed in the war."

Veronica snorted. "You mean he's taking advantage of them."

"Why do you say that?" asked Quatre.

"Because that's what Valren does," she answered.

"But I've worked with him and his staff. They seem alright."

"Appearances can be deceiving," said Veronica shaking her head. Her hair fell forward framing her face. She pushed it behind her ear.

Quatre suddenly got hot. _She's so pretty._ He thought. _I hope she didn't hear that._

Veronica didn't seem to be paying attention. She was watching the TV.

"What makes you think that DC Corp. and Valren are evil?" asked Trowa.

Veronica looked at Trowa, and then seemed to fight with herself. She felt their eyes on her. "Because…he kidnapped my parents and my brother," she said slowly.

They all looked at her in shock.

"Why'd he kidnap them?" asked Quatre softly.

"Because they tried to tell me why I have psychic powers," she said through gritted teeth. Her fists were clenched tight. _I can't cry._ She thought, desperately trying to hold back the tears.

"Why would he do that?" asked Duo "That's no reason to kidnap someone."

"Because Valren wants to take over. And…he's heartless," said Veronica shuddering. She got down on the floor and grabbed a bag of popcorn. She opened the bag and steam rushed out. She munched on the popcorn. Quatre sat down next to her on the floor.

"He was the one who beat you, wasn't he?" said Quatre softly.

Veronica didn't answer she just stared into space. Like she was looking into the past. _Should I tell them any more?_ Suddenly she had a flashback of when she and her brother had walked into a trashed kitchen after a day in the park.

There had been blood on the walls, table, and the floor. Not a lot, but enough. She had found some strange stuff. After her brother had looked at it he had said that DC Corp. had taken their parents. She had tried not to be scared, even though she was. Then she had cried. She was 13 when that had happened. Three years ago. Nick had called the police. But they didn't believe that DC Corp. had done it. They still filed a missing person report though.

"How long ago did they get kidnapped?" asked Quatre.

"Three years," said Veronica hoarsely.

The pilots exchanged glances.

"After that long they could be dead," said Duo.

"They're not dead!" said Veronica angrily.

Trowa shook his head. Veronica saw it out of the corner of her eye.

"You don't believe me," said Veronica. There was a hard edge to her voice. She felt her temper rising. She tried to control it. But sometimes she exploded. She stood up.

"Easy," said Quatre. "If you say they're alive, then they're alive." He glanced at Duo.

Duo shrugged and changed the channel on the TV. Then went back to eating.

"They're alive," whispered Veronica as she sat down. She clenched her fists. Suddenly she heard a voice in her head. _They're dead and you know it._ Her hands shook as she remembered the words Bren and Valren had said. _I'll kill them both._ She thought angrily. _I'll kill them for all the people they keep locked up and for my family._ Quatre put a hand on her shoulder. She jerked.

"Easy," said Quatre softly. "Something's bothering you."

She looked at Quatre sadly. "Something is bothering me, but I can't tell you."

"Sure you can," said Duo as he turned off the TV and turned to face them.

She just stared at her clenched fists. _I want to tell them. But what if…_ she let the thought trail off. Suddenly she heard Peppers words in her head. I don't think they'd save the world then turn around and hurt you. _All right I'll trust them, at least a little bit._ "I'll tell you. But you have to promise you won't tell anyone else."

"We won't tell any one," said Quatre.

Heero turned off his laptop and they all nodded.

Veronica let out a sigh. "I don't know where begin."

"How about at the beginning?" suggested Duo.

She smiled sadly. "It's hard to tell where the beginning is." She thought for a second. "Well… I've had these powers all my life. I thought I was maybe a freak of nature. Then mom and dad tried to tell me they weren't natural. They got kidnapped."

"Why does he hold them hostage?" asked Duo.

"Because he wants me back. If I go back he'll let them go. But I can't go back."

"Why not?" asked Heero.

"You wouldn't go back if you knew what they do to me."

"What do they do to you?" asked Quatre softly.

"Beat me. What else?"

"How much?" asked Trowa.

"Do you really want to know?" she looked at Trowa. Challenging him. He nodded. "All right." She thought for a minute. Remembering getting beat wasn't one of her favorite things. "First they strip you down to your under cloths, then they do what they please."

"Don't you fight back?" asked Heero. His voice was a bit mocking.

"I can't," said Veronica softly.

"Why not?" asked Duo.

"Because of this." She turned around and lifted up her hair. They all came over and looked. It was a metal implant about the size of a quarter on the base of her neck.

"It attaches straight to the brain," Said Heero.

"What does it do?" asked Wufei as she turned around.

Veronica chewed on her bottom lip. "It…controls me."

The pilots looked at each other. "What do you mean?" asked Duo.

"When some one says a certain word I have to do what they say."

"Can't you ignore it?" asked Heero.

Veronica shook her head. "If I try to it shoots pain through my body."

"What do they use to beat you?" asked Trowa.

"A two by four, a whip, their fists. Almost anything."

"Do you have any more scars?" asked Wufei.

Veronica turned around and lifted up her shirt. On her back were tons of scars.

Everyone's eyes went wide.

"What are they from?" asked Quatre.

"A whip," answered Veronica. She dropped her shirt and turned around. "And this is from a knife." She lifted up her left sleeve. There was a scar on her shoulder.

"Oh man," whisper Duo. "You weren't kidding when you said you had a hard three years." He thought for a second. "What made the one on your face?"

"Valren was mad that I had escaped so when he caught me he had Kyle take a knife and slice me. That's not the only place either."

"Who's Kyle?" asked Duo.

"He's Valren's son," answered Veronica.

"Where else did they cut you?" asked Quatre softly

Veronica swallowed hard. "Almost every where."

"Even…" Quatre didn't finish the sentence.

Veronica nodded. Duo inhaled sharply.

"Do I have to talk about this more?" asked Veronica tiredly.

"One more question," said Duo. "What are the words that control you?"

"I can't tell you," said Veronica. "You'll use it against me."

"No we won't," said Duo.

Veronica sighed wearily. "Ta havath (2)."

"Huh?"

"You wanted to know what it is and that is what it is," she said angrily.

"So it's ta havath huh?" said Duo thoughtfully.

"Duo," said Quatre in a warning tone. "Don't get any ideas."

He shrugged. "I just want to know if she's telling the truth."

"You can try it. I don't care," said Veronica softly.

Quatre looked surprised. "No we won't."

"You want to know if I'm telling the truth right? So do it. No one cares about me or what I think anyway."

"I care," said Quatre quietly.

Veronica looked at him surprised. Tears welled in her eyes. For the first time she didn't hide the pain and loneliness.

Quatre saw it all. He felt his heart go out to her. "I don't know exactly what you're going through, but if it's any consolation my parents are dead."

She nodded then looked down at her hands. When she looked up the emotion was gone from her eyes.

"We won't do it," said Quatre.

"Go ahead. As long as it doesn't involve hurting someone."

"I could make you my maid!" said Duo. For a second Veronica looked scared. "Relax. I was only kidding."

Veronica sighed relieved.

"Okay what do I want to know?" Duo thought for a few minutes. "Ta havath how did you know your parents were kidnapped?"

Veronica's whole body instinctively tightened. "It was three years ago Nick and I came home from the park. There was blood on the walls and no one was home."

"How did you know it was DC Corp.?"

"There was a badge on the floor. Once Nick looked at it he knew it was DC Corp."

"I thought your brother got kidnapped?" asked Heero.

"A year later he got kidnapped. Two years ago." She thought for a second. "Actually I thought he was dead."

"How old is your brother?" asked Quatre.

"Nineteen. He was sixteen when our parents got kidnapped. I was thirteen."

"Who designed your mobile suit?" asked Heero.

"My brother."

"Where did the AI come from?" asked Trowa.

Veronica didn't say anything. Her whole body was tight. She clenched her fists. _I can't tell them where we got the AI._ She grunted as the pain shot through her body.

"You don't have to answer," said Quatre. Her body relaxed.

"I don't want to talk about it any more," said Veronica quietly.

"But-"

"But nothing. If she doesn't want to talk about it then she doesn't have to." Quatre cut Duo off in mid sentence.

Duo shrugged. He turned the TV back on and went back to eating. Veronica sat there staring at her hands

"One more question," said Heero.

Veronica looked up. "What is it?"

"Does Valren own the mobile Dolls that were chasing you?"

Veronica nodded. "I escaped so he sent them after me."

Heero thought for a second. "What kind of system is in your mobile suit?"

Veronica closed her eyes and thought. Her eyelids quivered as she pulled the specific information out of her memory. "It's like the ZERO system, but different." She opened her eyes. "It's hard to explain." A pause. "I don't know the specifics of the ZERO system so I can't really compare it to that."

"I though you read Heero's mind," said Quatre.

"I don't like to pry too deep. I only read minds when necessary."

"Were you reading our minds during the card game?" asked Wufei suspiciously.

"No," said Veronica surprised.

"I never thought about that," said Duo thoughtfully.

"But I didn't!" said Veronica panicking.

"No one said you did," said Quatre gently he glared at Duo and Wufei. Duo shrugged and Wufei glared back. Quatre sighed.

_No one ever believes me._ Thought Veronica bitterly. She stared at her hands. Duo noticed how dejected she looked.

"Hey, I wasn't trying to accuse you," said Duo.

Veronica tried to smile at him. It didn't work.

"You don't like talking about it do you," said Quatre.

"Well trying to remember getting beaten isn't my favorite thing to do."

"We shouldn't have made you talk about it," said Quatre.

"That's okay," said Veronica.

My B.S.

1. Seriously if I had a pure black horse I wouldn't name him this. But if he had red eyes I would. The name comes from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. The name, Asar, is another name for the god Osiris, the personification of the Nile Flood and hence the god of destruction. He also represents the sun after it sets and as such was a symbol of the motionless dead.

2. From the Guardians of the Flame books by Joel Rosenberg. From one of the first seven books. It originally means take it easy.

Spooky: Sorry this was such a long one. I hope everyone liked it.

Asar: Review or I'll come after you.

Spooky: Heh, heh he's kidding.

CSWB Duo: I certainly hope so.

Spooky: You three out!

CSWB Duo & Jenny & Vixy: Right! (they disappear)

Spooky: Later!


	7. Chapter 7

Spooky: First off I must warn you about the language. It's pretty strong, but I guess it could be worse. Just don't use any language in the reviews. God knows what my mom would do if she found out.

Asar: Kill you maybe.

Spooky: Na, anyway this chapter's for sweetangel. Thank you for reviewing. Also I didn't make Quatre as sappy as some stories do, because I just don't think he's that empathetic. I mean he's more than the other pilots but I still think he's strong willed or whatever. He's still empathetic, just not a sap. You know what I mean, right?

Asar: We hope so.

Spooky: I couldn't get this up sooner because my Internet connection has been acting screwy. But hopefully it'll be fine now. Well here's the story.

Duo turned off the TV and stood up. "Who's ready to play some more cards?" he asked. Everyone sat back at the table. Duo turned on music from a nearby satellite. "Okay-" Duo was interrupted by a message on the COM unit. He stood up and walked over to the wall by the door. He pushed a button and spoke into it. "This is Duo."

"Is Ms. McCloud there?" asked the captain.

"Yeah. She's right here," answered Duo.

"There's an incoming message for her. I'll transfer it if she wants."

Duo looked at her, she nodded then stood up.

"Sure. Go ahead and transfer," said Duo.

Veronica walked over and Duo sat back down.

"Veronica?" came a voice over the COM. It sounded like a man in his twenties.

"Yes?"

"Good," said the voice. "I thought you were on the Mars 5."

"Who is this?" demanded Veronica.

"You know who I am," said the voice.

Veronica's body went tight. Her hands balled into fists. "Bren," she whispered.

"That's right," he answered. "I just wanted to make sure you were where I thought you were."

"What do you want?"

"To tell you that your fathers dead."

"You bastard. That's a lie."

"Are you sure?" asked Bren.

Veronica thought for a minute. "But Valren needs him."

"Well maybe he doesn't anymore."

Veronica was silent for a moment. "What do you really want?"

"To remind you that if you're not on Earth in six days, I'll kill Nick," answered Bren.

"I know that. I got the email," snapped Veronica.

"Good. You know he's pretty tough. He's taken every beating and not said a word. Of course he's not as fun as you."

Veronica felt the tears well up. She didn't care, the tears streamed down her cheeks. "You're sick," she whispered.

"I know," he answered evilly. "Now, you remember all the fun times we had together? We'll do the same thing when you get here."

"I hate you!" screamed Veronica.

Bren laughed evilly. "I know, I know!" Finally he stopped laughing. "Hey! What about me!" said a male voice in the background. "Right," said Bren. "Kyle also says he's waiting for you."

"Damn both of you to hell!" screamed Veronica. She felt a rising need to smash something. But she kept it under control, for the moment.

"Is he the one who beat you?" asked Quatre. Veronica nodded

"So, the Gundam pilots are there with you. How much have you told them?" asked Bren.

"Enough," answered Veronica icily.

"Come on. You can tell me."

Veronica gritted her teeth. "I told them about you beating me and about Valren kidnapping my parents."

"That's all?" asked Bren surprised. "Well I suppose it's a good thing you didn't say anything else."

Veronica didn't say anything. She squeezed her fists tighter.

"Your brother would have suffered for it." They heard a muffled voice, and then Bren came back on. "Kyle says he can't wait to see you. If you get the drift."

"Tell him to go to hell," said Veronica frostily.

Bren chuckled. "Of course…. We can't wait to see you. Knowing you'll come crawling back."

"Fuck you," said Veronica. "You'll never catch me again. I'll rescue my brother and parents right from under your nose. You fucking, bastard!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Such language," scolded Bren.

Veronica slapped a button and she cut off the call. Her breathing was heavy and her heart was pounding. She had been clenching her fists so hard she was surprised that they weren't bleeding.

"Is all that true?" asked Duo.

Veronica closed her eyes. Tears ran down her face. She turned around. They all looked at her. Her cool exterior gone all the pain and hate showed through her eyes. "Yes," she answered softly. She sank to the floor, her dignity gone. Quatre rushed over and crouched next to her. She put her hands over her face. She didn't want them to see her like this. _Bren's taken everything from me,_ She thought. _My pride, my dignity, my brother, my parents, my emotions and my feelings, at least he hasn't taken my virginity, yet._ she thought hopelessly. Quatre put a hand on her shoulder. She shook it off, feeling completely dejected. Suddenly the song on the radio caught her attention. It was "I'm with you" by Avril Lavigne. She looked up, tears running down her cheeks. She quickly wiped the tears and pushed herself up. Quatre helped her up. Everyone was watching her. She swallowed hard. Quatre looked at her with questioning eyes. They walked over to the table and Veronica sat down miserably. She buried her face in her hands. Quatre sat down next to her. He set a comforting hand on her shoulder. This time she didn't shake it off. _I want to tell them everything,_ she thought. _But there's too much._

"Did they rape you?" asked Duo.

Veronica looked up at him, her eyes full of sadness. "No," she managed.

Quatre gently squeezed her shoulder. "At least you still have that. And it's okay to be scared and to cry."

Veronica stood up abruptly. "You don't understand! I have nothing!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. "I try to hide my emotions, the pain and sadness, and the hatred! I know it's okay to cry, even if I don't in front of other people. And I'm not scared of them!" She walked away from the table. Her whole body trembled. From anger or maybe fear they couldn't guess.

Quatre stood up and walked over to her. He put a hand on her shoulder. Veronica whirled around. Her eyes held every painful emotion you could ever imagine. "If you're not scared of them, then what _is_ scaring you?" he asked.

She looked surprised. "I'm scared…no. I'm afraid for my brother and my parents. I'm scared that they won't make it through this. I don't care about what happens to me anymore. I just want them freed."

"Why don't you care about yourself anymore?" asked Quatre.

"I don't know, I just don't. I'm to beaten to care; my soul's been sold, my hopes and dreams taken from me. I'm no use to anyone anymore."

"You can't think like that!" said Duo suddenly. Veronica looked at him in shock. In fact everyone did. He stood up. "You have to fight! You can't give up! Your family depends on you!"

"I wont give up, until they're safely freed. Then, I'll give myself up."

"You can't!" cried Quatre.

"Why not?" asked Veronica.

"You just can't!"

"Quatre's right!" said Duo walking over to them. "We'll help you."

"Uh, Maxwell," said Wufei. "Speak for yourself."

Duo turned around. "Come on Wufei. If what she says is true and Valren is kidnapping people, then we have to stop him!" Heero, Trowa, and Wufei looked at him shocked. "We wanna live in a peaceful world, right? Then we have to help her!"

"You know he's right," said Trowa. Heero and Wufei looked at him, and then nodded.

"You're going to help me?" asked Veronica surprised.

"Yes. We will," said Quatre setting a hand on her shoulder.

"But I don't deserve your help," she said trying to hold back the tears.

"Sure you do," said Duo putting a hand on her other shoulder. "Everyone needs help once in a while."

Quatre took his hand off her shoulder and grabbed her hand. He gently squeezed it. She squeezed back. No one saw.

Veronica slowly nodded. "Thank you."

"Alright then!" Duo took his hand off her shoulder and sat back down at the table.

Veronica didn't look like she wanted to play any more

"How about I walk you back to your quarters?" suggested Quatre.

"Yeah," said Veronica. "Yeah I could use some sleep."

They said good nights then headed for the door.

Spooky: Well that wasn't as long as the last chapter I bet your glad, or not.

Asar: I'm sure their glad you got it up.

Spooky: Yeah, anyway please review and I'll get more up. Later.


	8. Chapter 8

Spooky: Finally I've got this up. I'm sorry I didn't get it up sooner but we started school again and I've been swamped.

Asar: This chapter isn't for anyone because she had to take it down

Spooky: But if it was for anyone it would be Showndra Ridge.

12:18 A.M.

Quatre and Veronica stood outside her door. She pressed a button and the door slide open. They walked inside.

_Uh oh. Something happened, didn't it?_ Pepper's voice was in her head.

_I'll tell you later._ She answered. She sat down on the bed and pulled off her boots. Quatre just stood by the door. "You can come in," She said. She had gotten done crying, but her eyes were swollen and red.

Quatre walked to the middle of the room. "I just wanted to make sure you…"

"Got safely to my room?" she finished.

"Yeah," Said Quatre slightly blushing.

"Thanks," she said standing up and walking over to him. "But I can take it from here."

But Quatre saw something in her eyes. "Is there something else?' he asked.

"Nope," She answered trying to smile.

But Quatre knew she was lying. "You know it's okay to cry," he said. She looked at him funny. "I know you wanted to be brave in front of the others, but you don't have to be brave in front of me. Even I cry."

Her face changed from her emotionless face to one full of pain and sorrow. Quatre saw the tears well up.

"It's okay," he said softly.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She set her hands on his chest and buried her face in his shoulder. She cried long and hard. Quatre held her tight and whispered comforting words in her ear. He could feel her pain and she was trembling.

_It's cutting her open and slowly draining her life away from her._ Thought Quatre. He held her tighter.

Every sob should have ended the universe. But it stayed together. Finally she pulled away. But she didn't look him in the eye.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"It's okay," he said tenderly. He gently tilted her head up so that they were looking eye to eye.

She reached out to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Quatre pulled her in and they hugged. They stayed like that for a long time.

"I better get some sleep," said Veronica pulling away. She quickly wiped her eyes.

"Yeah, I better go," said Quatre heading towards the door. "Can I help you with Darkstar tomorrow?"

"I'd like that," she said smiling shyly.

Quatre smiled back. "Tomorrow then." Then he walked out the door.

Veronica stood there staring at the door a while longer. Feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. _I haven't felt like this since the last time I saw my brother._ She thought.

_So you do love him._ Teased Pepper.

"Yes," she breathed. She felt Pepper's surprise. "What, did you think I was going to say no?" she asked.

_Well I just thought. I mean…_stuttered Pepper.

"Don't worry about it. I've finally accepted the truth," she said taking her cloths off. She got into a big, baggy, black tee shirt. Then she crawled into bed. Pepper curled up next to her. "But you can't tell Quatre."

_Why not? He loves you._ said Pepper.

"I just can't. Not because I'm afraid of getting hurt. I know they won't hurt me."

_Right. So why not tell him?_

"Because of Valren, and Bren. If they found out that I was in love they'd use it against me," she said angrily. Pepper agreed. "Well we better get to sleep."

_Right,_ said Pepper. _Goodnight._

"Goodnight."

12:42 A.M.

Quatre returned to Duo's room looking worried.

"What's wrong?" asked Trowa.

"We have to help her," stated Quatre simply.

"We're going to. Don't worry," said Duo.

"No. I mean different help. She needs a therapist."

They all gave him a funny look.

Duo chuckled. "I know what's goin' on. You guys are." he made a movement with his hands.

"No," said Quatre. "We didn't. But she cried some more when we got there. I could just feel her pain. It was awful."

"So what do we do?" asked Heero.

"We help her get her family back. Then help her." Everyone agreed.

8:45 A.M.

Veronica walked into the mess hall and Quatre waved her over. She walked over and sat down. She seemed tense and uptight. She watched everyone.

"Are you okay?" asked Quatre.

"Yeah, why?" asked Veronica.

"Well, you seem uptight," said Duo.

"Yeah I…had a nightmare," she answered shifting in her seat.

"Was it bad?" asked Quatre concerned.

She smiled sadly. "Let's just say that Bren had some control over me last night."

"What do you mean?" asked Heero.

"Well with the chip on my neck they can send messages to me. Mental pictures. So he sent me images as nightmares."

"What was it about?" asked Duo

"Flashbacks of…stuff," she answered.

They knew what she was talking about. So they ate in silence.

When they were done Veronica stood up. "I had better go fix Darkstar."

"Can I help you?" asked Quatre.

"I'd like that," said Veronica smiling.

"Alright," said Quatre standing up.

Him and Veronica walked out of the mess hall.

11:08 P.M.

Quatre and Veronica were walking down the hall heading for her quarters. They had been fixing Darkstar for 2 hours, now they were taking a break. When they got to the door she open it and they went inside. Veronica walked over to the table and opened her laptop. Quatre sat down next to her.

"I'm checking my email," said Veronica. Quatre nodded.

She checked her email, but there was nothing. She got onto the Internet and hacked into DC Corp.'s computer. Quatre gave her a questioning look but didn't say anything. From there she went to Bren's computer and found where she was supposed to meet him. _I know where that is._ She thought when she saw the coordinates. She shut down her computer then stood up. She started pacing the room.

"Are you okay?" asked Quatre concerned.

"I'm just worried." She paused. "I'm scared that they're beating Nick right now."

Quatre stood up. "Don't worry we'll get them back."

Veronica looked at him. "Yeah." But she didn't sound to sure.

"After we rescue them are you going to give yourself up?"

"I have to. If I don't Valren will beat me more the next time he kidnaps me."

"But you can't," said Quatre.

"I have no choice," said Veronica miserably.

"If you're going to then there's something I need to tell you." She turned around to face him. "I love you."

Veronica looked at him in shock. "You love me," she said softly.

Quatre nodded. "Do you love me?"

"I do. But I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because if Valren or Bren finds out then they'll use it against me."

"I'll protect you," said Quatre walking up to her.

"You wouldn't be able to."

"Yes I would. I would protect you with my life. I love you to much to let you go."

"I can't. I…" she looked up. They were so close that she could feel his breath. _Maybe I shouldn't give myself up. Maybe I should stay with him. I do love him._

"Are you still going to give yourself up?" asked Quatre.

Veronica shook her head. "I don't know."

"Please don't. I can get the others to help. You can stay with me. You'll be safe."

"I…" she looked away.

Quatre gently tilted her head up. She looked into his eyes. They held a kindness she thought she didn't deserve.

Then he wrapped his arms around her waist and she set her hands on his chest. He leaned forward and their lips met. Veronica closed her eyes and Quatre held her tighter. They parted and Quatre looked at her expectantly.

"That felt…good," said Veronica looking up at him.

Quatre blushed then smiled. "I'm glad you liked it. It was my first kiss."

"Me too." She blushed.

"I…I…"

"You want to do it again?"

"Yeah," said Quatre turning bright red.

"Me too," said Veronica blushing.

Quatre looked at her in shock. "You want to?"

She looked away shyly. "Yeah."

Quatre leaned forward and they kissed again. They stayed like that for a while just enjoying the feel of each other. Suddenly Quatre felt her start to tremble. They parted.

"Are you all right? Did I do something wrong?" asked Quatre.

"No," said Veronica. "I just…"

"What?"

Veronica looked away. "I just got scared."

"Don't worry, you don't have to be scared around me."

Quatre tilted her head up and looked into her eyes. Veronica held his gaze for a moment then laid her head on his shoulder. Quatre rubbed her back. She sighed. She felt Quatre shift his weight. She looked up at him.

"Are you okay?" asked Veronica.

"Yeah, it's just that my leg was getting tired."

Veronica smiled up at him. "We can sit down you know."

"Sure," said Quatre indicating the couch.

They both went over and sat on the couch. Quatre sat nearest to the door. Veronica sat down next to him and he put his arm around her.

"Better?" asked Veronica.

"Much."

"I know what would be better."

"Mmmmm. What?"

"You could lie down," said Veronica gently pushing him.

Quatre let her push him down and he brought his feet up onto the couch. Veronica squeezed into the space between Quatre and the couch back. Then she slipped a leg between Quatre's legs and laid her head on his shoulder. Quatre managed to slip an arm around her.

"You're right, this is better," said Quatre sighing.

"Mmmmm hmmmm."

Veronica started to unbutton Quatre's shirt. Her hands stumbled on the buttons, but she managed to get it unbuttoned. Then she ran her hand over his chest. It was smooth and warm and she could feel his muscles. She knew he could really hurt her but she also knew how gentle he was. She could feel the power in his arms but he held her gently. He had never hurt her, never put her down, not like Bren. Quatre inhaled sharply when her hands touched his chest. She felt him tighten a little.

"Are you okay?" asked Veronica looking up at him.

"Yes, it's just your hands…"

Veronica cocked her head.

"Your hands are so cold," said Quatre softly.

"I guess I'm always nervous. Or maybe I'm just cold."

"Are you nervous now?"

Veronica shrugged. "I don't know. I can't tell anymore." She thought for a moment. "Maybe a little."

"Well try not to be," said Quatre squeezing her.

"I'll try," said Veronica lifting her head then she set her hand on his cheek. She stretched forward and kissed him on the cheek.

Quatre turned his head and kissed her then again and again. Veronica felt his lips against hers, as soft as rose petals. She could feel his warmth and love. Quatre held her tighter; Veronica hoped he would never let go. She gripped his shirt as if it was all that was holding her to reality. Then she couldn't stop it, a tear escaped. She could taste the salt of the tears. Quatre pulled back to look at her. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Why are you crying?" asked Quatre concerned.

"I-I don't know." More tears rolled out. "I guess I'm just so happy." She smiled and closed her eyes as more tears poured out.

Quatre held her close as she cried against his shoulder. Finally she stopped. She let out a big sigh and closed her eyes.

"Are you tired?" asked Quatre.

"Yeah," said Veronica. "I could use a nap."

"Are you comfortable?"

"Yeah, why?" She looked up at him.

"Well…you could take a nap here."

She laid her head back down onto his chest. "That would be nice."

She relaxed in his arms. Her breathing became slow and steady as she slipped into a deep sleep. Finally being able to sleep deeply and let her guard down.

Spooky: Well there's that chapter. If you review I'll post more.

Asar: But you still have to write it.

Spooky: Eh heh, heh. Yeah, this is all I've gotten written so it might be a while before I get more up. Hopefully not to long though.

Asar: Right.

Spooky: Later!


	9. Chapter 9

Spooky: I'm baaaaaaaaaaack! I bet you're all thinking, "about time." Well I haven't been able to update because we cut off our Internet and didn't get a new service until now.

Asar: Not a very good excuse.

Spooky: I know. sigh Anywho…this chapter's for looks at piece of paper Wufei!

Quatre lay there with her in his arms as she slipped off to sleep. He wondered what she was feeling. Finally when he was sure she was asleep. He let himself start to drift. He closed his eyes and relaxed. Glad he was here with her. It felt right. He wondered how she had found him. Then he slipped off to sleep.

Quatre awoke a few hours later from some noise. It had sounded like the door chime. Veronica shifted in his arms. _Probably my imagination,_ he thought. Just then her door slid open. Quatre craned his neck to look. Heero and Duo walked into the room. Both were wearing an expression of shock at what they saw.

"What the…?" Heero trailed off.

"I told you they'd be here," said Duo, still looking shocked.

"Guys, what are you doing here?" asked Quatre quietly. _Oh dear, this is not good,_ thought Quatre. _They're going to think something happened when it didn't._

"Well we were looking for you," said Duo. "But it looks like you're busy." He grinned.

Quatre looked at Veronica then back at Duo and Heero. He looked panicked. "It's not what you think…"

"Oh come on Quatre, we saw the way you would look at her," said Duo. "It's obvious you love her."

Quatre tried to think of something to say. But nothing came.

"Quatre, tell them to leave," said Veronica softly but with force, her eyes still closed.

"Sally just sent us an email and you need to see it," said Heero irritated.

"Right," said Quatre sighing.

He pulled away from Veronica and stood up. He started buttoning up his shirt. Veronica groaned slightly then stretched. She opened her eyes and blinked against the light. She swung her legs over the couch and stood up.

"What's it about?" asked Quatre tucking in his shirt.

"A mission," said Heero.

"Yeah she wants us to meet her at a refueling station near L3," said Duo.

Veronica frowned. "We just passed that colony yesterday."

"Tell me about it," said Heero through gritted teeth.

"We were supposed to go to L4," explained Quatre. "But it looks like we'll need to take a shuttle from there."

"I was hoping she wouldn't do this to us. Now it'll take longer to get there," said Heero.

"Plus you guys are late for lunch," said Duo.

"I guess we slept a little to long," said Quatre sheepishly.

Duo gave Veronica a questioning look. She shrugged, smiling slightly.

"Well lets go," said Quatre. "I'll be back in a little while," he said to Veronica.

"I'll come with you," said Veronica.

"Great," said Quatre smiling.

1:25 P.M.

"I cannot believe she emails us _after_ we've already passed the rendezvous point. I swear she must do this to annoy us!" exclaimed Wufei. "Stupid woman."

"She probably didn't have the problem or whatever until now," said Duo.

The five Gundam pilots and Veronica were standing around the table in Heero's room. Which looked like all the other rooms. A bed on one wall the door on the opposite, a small bathroom, and a table.

"Does she say what it is she wants?" asked Veronica.

"No. But she was probably afraid that the email could get traced," said Heero.

Duo sighed. "And _I_ thought we were going to Quatre's to party."

"But Sally needs our help," said Quatre.

"I know," said Duo sighing.

"Hold on," said Veronica. "Who sent this email?"

"Sally Poe," answered Trowa.

"She's a high ranking official for the Preventors, isn't she?" asked Veronica.

"How do you know?" asked Heero suspiciously.

"I'm a hacker, remember?"

Heero scowled at her.

Veronica ignored it. "So you guys work as Preventors?"

"Yeah. But Sally's also a friend," said Duo. "Usually we work only part time."

"To earn some extra cash," said Wufei with a grunt.

Veronica thought for a moment. If she could get a job as a Preventor she could earn some extra money. But she still had a problem.

"Is something wrong?" asked Quatre.

"I need to get Darkstar fixed," said Veronica simply. "I just can't fly a mobile suit right into a colony. But I only have a day to fix him."

"Hey Heero why don't you help her fix it?" said Duo. "I mean, you were able to fix Wing in a day, so this should be no problem."

Heero nodded. "Fine. Do you want to start right now?"

"I'd actually like to get something to eat first," said Veronica.

"Well then, lets go," said Quatre.

So Quatre and Veronica headed for the mess hall.

Spooky: Well that's that chapter! I'll put up a new one if you review!

Asar: Until next time.

Spooky: Later!


	10. Chapter 10

Spooky: Another update.

Asar: And surprisingly quick too.

Spooky: Right! This chapter's for Miekkie! Thanks for reviewing!

A half an hour later Veronica and Heero were in the shuttle bay fixing Darkstar.

"Try it now!" called Veronica from outside Darkstar.

Heero, who was sitting at Darkstar's controls, punched in a command. On the screen a bunch of numbers popped up. He typed in a few commands.

"Yes!" He heard Veronica yell from outside.

Heero heard her slam a panel shut on Darkstar's hull. Then she appeared in the hatch.

"Communications are back online," said Veronica with a smile. She went over to one of Darkstar's panels and opened it.

"You said your mom was given a shot when she was pregnant with you," ventured Heero carefully, "did DC Corp. offer to pay your parents? Is that why they did it?"

"Not exactly," said Veronica sticking her hand into the panel and feeling around. "It was more of a threat. When my mom was pregnant with my older brother, Nick, DC Corp. offered them money for participation in the experiment. But mom and dad refused. DC Corp. didn't like that. They sort of disappeared after that. My parents didn't hear from them again. Then my mom got pregnant with me. They offered her the money again, but she refused. So they threatened her." Veronica's face lit up as she found the switch she was looking for in the panel. She flipped it, pulled her hand out, and slammed the panel shut.

"What was the threat?" asked Heero.

"That if my parents didn't cooperate, they would kill Nick. She didn't want to take the chance." She walked over to Darkstar's controls where Heero was sitting. "Enter this code," she said to him, "586349."

Heero typed in the code. On the screen the blue prints for behind the panel that Veronica had been working popped up. All the workings showed green.

"Good." Veronica punched in another code and the blue prints pulled out to show more of the mobile suit's workings. Some areas were green and some were red.

"We're making progress," said Darkstar. "A few more hours and we'll be ready to fly."

"So your mother agreed to let them inject her?" asked Heero.

"Yes," answered Veronica. "At the time DC Corp. didn't have a clear idea of what the chemical would actually do. They still don't. My friend Mike, his mom got an injection, but when he was born he had no psychic powers. No strange brain waves on the scans. Nothing. The only thing that showed that his mom had been injected was his silver eyes. That all went to hell when he hit puberty. But he didn't use the powers a lot, so DC Corp. never found out."

"Hn. Strange," said Heero pressing a few buttons.

"Right. What's your estimate on how long this will take?" asked Veronica.

"Until one."

"In the morning?"

Heero nodded. "That's if we don't stop for dinner and breaks."

"And if we do?"

"Then it will probably take until three or three-thirty."

_At least it won't take all night,_ thought Veronica as she watched the figures on the screen. _Or maybe it will._

Veronica rang the bell to Quatre's room. No answer. Not a, "just a minute", or a "come in". Veronica reached out with her mind, tried to see if he was even in there. She could feel him. It was a feeling of warmth, love, and…safety. But he was totally relaxed which meant he was asleep or almost asleep.

Veronica opened the door and walked in. the lights were dimmed down to low and the vid-screen was on. She looked up at the time above the vid-screen. It was already three-thirty in the morning. So much for spending time with Quatre.

Quatre was sitting at the small table in the middle of the room. His head was on the table, pillowed by his arms. He was asleep.

Veronica walked over and switched off the vid-screen. She turned and looked at Quatre. He was sleeping so peacefully, she wondered if he ever had nightmares. Quatre stirred and lifted his head. He rubbed his eyes, and Veronica's gut tightened at how much he looked like a little kid waking up from his nap.

_I'm ruining his life,_ thought Veronica. _I don't deserve someone like him._

"What was that?" asked Quatre.

He was looking at her now. Veronica wondered if he had caught that last thought.

"Nothing," she said. She sat down across from him.

"What time is it?"

"Three-thirty."

Quatre stood up and stretched. "I didn't think it was so late."

"Did I keep you waiting?" asked Veronica.

"No," said Quatre shaking his head. He walked around behind her. He set his hands on her shoulders then kissed her cheek. "Your shoulders are tense. Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine," answered Veronica. "Just…thinking."

"About what?"

"About…" Veronica trailed off. About what? About how she was thinking of leaving? About how much she loved him? About how she didn't want to hurt him? About working so much? About Bren and DC Corp.? About how miserable she sometimes felt?

A million thoughts poured into her head. Like a string of firecrackers, one after the other exploding.

"What is it?" asked Quatre. He squeezed her shoulders.

"Nothing." She reached up and grabbed his hand. Quatre gently squeezed it.

She was glad he didn't push. She wanted to tell him how she felt. But she held back. She just didn't want to end up with a broken heart again.

"Well, you look tired. I'll walk you back to your room," said Quatre.

"Alright" said Veronica.

A half an hour later Veronica and Heero were in the shuttle bay fixing Darkstar.

"Try it now!" called Veronica from outside Darkstar.

Heero, who was sitting at Darkstar's controls, punched in a command. On the screen a bunch of numbers popped up. He typed in a few commands.

"Yes!" He heard Veronica yell from outside.

Heero heard her slam a panel shut on Darkstar's hull. Then she appeared in the hatch.

"Communications are back online," said Veronica with a smile. She went over to one of Darkstar's panels and opened it.

"You said your mom was given a shot when she was pregnant with you," ventured Heero carefully, "did DC Corp. offer to pay your parents? Is that why they did it?"

"Not exactly," said Veronica sticking her hand into the panel and feeling around. "It was more of a threat. When my mom was pregnant with my older brother, Nick, DC Corp. offered them money for participation in the experiment. But mom and dad refused. DC Corp. didn't like that. They sort of disappeared after that. My parents didn't hear from them again. Then my mom got pregnant with me. They offered her the money again, but she refused. So they threatened her." Veronica's face lit up as she found the switch she was looking for in the panel. She flipped it, pulled her hand out, and slammed the panel shut.

"What was the threat?" asked Heero.

"That if my parents didn't cooperate, they would kill Nick. She didn't want to take the chance." She walked over to Darkstar's controls where Heero was sitting. "Enter this code," she said to him, "586349."

Heero typed in the code. On the screen the blue prints for behind the panel that Veronica had been working popped up. All the workings showed green.

"Good." Veronica punched in another code and the blue prints pulled out to show more of the mobile suit's workings. Some areas were green and some were red.

"We're making progress," said Darkstar. "A few more hours and we'll be ready to fly."

"So your mother agreed to let them inject her?" asked Heero.

"Yes," answered Veronica. "At the time DC Corp. didn't have a clear idea of what the chemical would actually do. They still don't. My friend Mike, his mom got an injection, but when he was born he had no psychic powers. No strange brain waves on the scans. Nothing. The only thing that showed that his mom had been injected was his silver eyes. That all went to hell when he hit puberty. But he didn't use the powers a lot, so DC Corp. never found out."

"Hn. Strange," said Heero pressing a few buttons.

"Right. What's your estimate on how long this will take?" asked Veronica.

"Until one."

"In the morning?"

Heero nodded. "That's if we don't stop for dinner and breaks."

"And if we do?"

"Then it will probably take until three or three-thirty."

_At least it won't take all night,_ thought Veronica as she watched the figures on the screen. _Or maybe it will._

Veronica rang the bell to Quatre's room. No answer. Not a, "just a minute", or a "come in". Veronica reached out with her mind, tried to see if he was even in there. She could feel him. It was a feeling of warmth, love, and…safety. But he was totally relaxed which meant he was asleep or almost asleep.

Veronica opened the door and walked in. the lights were dimmed down to low and the vid-screen was on. She looked up at the time above the vid-screen. It was already three-thirty in the morning. So much for spending time with Quatre.

Quatre was sitting at the small table in the middle of the room. His head was on the table, pillowed by his arms. He was asleep.

Veronica walked over and switched off the vid-screen. She turned and looked at Quatre. He was sleeping so peacefully, she wondered if he ever had nightmares. Quatre stirred and lifted his head. He rubbed his eyes, and Veronica's gut tightened at how much he looked like a little kid waking up from his nap.

_I'm ruining his life,_ thought Veronica. _I don't deserve someone like him._

"What was that?" asked Quatre.

He was looking at her now. Veronica wondered if he had caught that last thought.

"Nothing," she said. She sat down across from him.

"What time is it?"

"Three-thirty."

Quatre stood up and stretched. "I didn't think it was so late."

"Did I keep you waiting?" asked Veronica.

"No," said Quatre shaking his head. He walked around behind her. He set his hands on her shoulders then kissed her cheek. "Your shoulders are tense. Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine," answered Veronica. "Just…thinking."

"About what?"

"About…" Veronica trailed off. About what? About how she was thinking of leaving? About how much she loved him? About how she didn't want to hurt him? About working so much? About Bren and DC Corp.? About how miserable she sometimes felt?

A million thoughts poured into her head. Like a string of firecrackers, one after the other exploding.

"What is it?" asked Quatre. He squeezed her shoulders.

"Nothing." She reached up and grabbed his hand. Quatre gently squeezed it.

She was glad he didn't push. She wanted to tell him how she felt. But she held back. She just didn't want to end up with a broken heart again.

"Well, you look tired. I'll walk you back to your room," said Quatre.

"Alright" said Veronica.

Spooky: Well that chapter was a little longer, wasn't it?

Asar: It sure was.

Spooky: Well I should be updating regularly now. So if you review I'll post more!

Asar: R&R.

Spooky: Later!


	11. Chapter 11

Spooky: Hey everyone I'm back. Been a while huh? Sorry I guess I've been drawing more than writing lately. Now some of you complained that chapter 10 was a repeat. That is untrue. If you read carefully there's extra detail in there and it's just her and Heero not her and Quatre. If that makes no sense, shrugges deal with it. wicked grin Lately I've felt like writing more so hopefully I'll get new chaps up on everything.

Asar: That's what you said last time.

Spooky: Yeah but last time I didn't have insperation!

Asar: And this time you do?

Spooky: Of course! Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended edition!

Asar: Oh boy…

Spooky: anyway this chaps for…whisper2imaginary

A man with cruel hazel eyes and short slightly messy dark brown hair stood twenty feet from Veronica. She looked around. They were in a field just outside a forest. To her left was the dense dark forest. She turned to her right. There was a two-story log house. It was on the other side of the field, but it seemed so familiar. Then it came to her. That was her aunt's house. She was on her aunt's ranch. Several people were standing on the house's wrap around deck. Veronica couldn't tell who they were, but they seemed to be yelling. Calling for someone, but she couldn't hear them.

That was when she noticed the storm. The clouds were demon black and the wind roared ferociously. Yet Veronica couldn't feel the wind. Everything around her was being whipped by the wind, but she felt no wind. The man didn't seem to feel it either, and it was eerily silent.

Veronica turned back to the man. He was wearing a white button up shirt with a collar and kaki pants. He looked so familiar. Then the man smiled. It was an evil wicked smile. A smile she knew all too well.

"Bren," whispered Veronica.

"Come back," said Bren. His voice was sweet, but there was a darker undertone. "Come back to where you belong."

"Never!" growled Veronica.

"Don't resist." Bren's smile didn't look evil anymore; it looked understanding. "You know you don't belong with them. It's too dangerous. You belong with the other kids like you. With us."

"You mean I'd belong _to_ you, not with you. You own people," said Veronica bitterly.

Bren's smile faltered for an instant. He recovered quickly, but Veronica had seen it. She had hit him where it hurt.

Even though DC Corp. kidnapped kids, subjected them to daily tests, and even beat a few, Bren did not think of it as slavery. Oh no, Bren did not "own" people. He was firmly against slavery. The kids got to wander the compound, eat what they wanted, listen to music, read, write, and talk freely. Even when Veronica got beat she wasn't chained down, she could fight back. She had even broken Bren's arm once. But Veronica thought that being held against your will was, in a sense, still slavery.

"I'll never come willingly," said Veronica.

"You will, eventually."

The smugness in his voice made Veronica want to scream. "You kidnapped my parents, my brother, you betrayed me, then you beat me!" she yelled at him. "I'll _never_ come willingly!"

Bren's smile faded. "I think you will," he said coldly.

He reached into the bushes and pulled something out. Veronica gasped when she saw what it was. It was her best friend, Mike.

His black hair was ragged and clumped with dirt. His black tee shirt and jeans were covered in mud, dirt, and blood. His feet were bare and bloody, his face was smeared with dirt, sweat, and blood, and his silver eyes were huge with fear.

"Veronica," whispered Mike.

Veronica stood there horrified, unable to move.

Bren pulled a gun out of nowhere. He put it to Mike's head. "Say goodbye to your friend." He pulled the trigger. The gunshot rang out loud and clear.

"_MIKE_!" Veronica screamed.

Veronica sat bolt upright in bed, still screaming.

_Veronica! Veronica it was just a dream!_ The voice rang through her head with crystal clarity.

She reached out with her mind. _Pepper?_

_Yeah, it's me._

Veronica opened her eyes. The lights were on medium; she blinked against the light. Pepper jumped into her lap.

_You had me worried for a minute there,_ he said.

"I'm sorry," said Veronica. She leaned back against the wall. She was burning up and the cool metal felt good. "It was one of the worst nightmares I've ever had."

_Was it a premonition or just a dream?_

"I'm not sure. It was at aunt Rosa's ranch in the middle of a storm and Mike was there. But…"

_What? What's wrong?_

"Bren was there, he shot Mike." Veronica closed her eyes.

_Let's hope it's just a dream,_ said Pepper.

"What time is it?"

_Nine-thirty._

"Damn it, I was supposed to be up an hour ago." Veronica jumped out of bed; Pepper fell onto the floor.

_Hey, watch it!_

"Sorry!" said Veronica as she grabbed some cloths. "I'm going to the showers! Later!"

An hour later, after breakfast, Veronica ran down the hall. She used her psychic powers to open the door to the shuttle bay, and ran through. She crashed into something.

"Hey, take it easy," said Duo.

Veronica looked up. Duo had one of his big goofy grins on his face. He was the only person she knew who smiled like that. And his strange violet-blue eyes sparkled with friendship. Veronica's gut turned over like the night before with Quatre. The feeling that she wasn't supposed to be there welled up in her heart again. She shook off the feeling.

Veronica looked around. The boys Duo, Quatre, Heero, Trowa, and Wufei, were standing on the platform in the docking bay. Darkstar stood docked behind them. Veronica thought she sensed eagerness in her metallic friend. She was also eager to get back into space, back into the fight. But she sensed reluctance and worry from Quatre, and a little from the others. She wanted to stay and be with Quatre. But she also wanted to go fight.

"I…guess we'll meet you at the refueling station," said Quatre.

Veronica half walked, half floated over to him. "Right." She gave a small smile, but there was no hope in her eyes.

Quatre held her gaze and searched. For what Veronica didn't know, maybe hope. _If only…._ Veronica let the thought trail off. It was too late to talk now. Later, later she would have time.

Quatre leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek. It was quick, but held tons of emotions. Veronica couldn't help it, she felt like crying. She grabbed Quatre and pulled him into a fierce hug. Quatre held her tightly.

"Stay safe, 'kay?" Quatre whispered into her ear.

"I will," she whispered back.

Veronica pulled away and said goodbye to everyone. Then she pushed off and floated over to Darkstar. As she walked in, Darkstar powered up. Veronica went over and sat in the control chair. She buckled the harnesses and grabbed the controls. She watched as the boys walked through the door. As the bay depressurized Veronica went through the programs, making sure everything was working.

"Don't worry. Everything's fine," said Darkstar.

"Just double checking," muttered Veronica.

She gripped the controls tighter as the bay door opened. Veronica's face broke into a smile. There was a mischievous undertone to the smile. The thought of being free and flying through the stars made her heart race with excitement.

"Here we go," said Veronica softly. Her voice was tinged with excitement.

Veronica pushed the controls forward. Darkstar shot out of the docking bay like a bat out of hell. Veronica paused a moment to get her bearings then they were off.

The boys took off in two shuttles five minutes after Veronica did. Quatre had told her to hang back if she got there first. So they could explain things to Sally. He didn't want Sally to "freak out", as Duo had put it. But he doubted Sally would freak out. She was too sensible.

Spooky: Oi that was a lot. Hee, hee hopefully my next chapter will be just as long! Remember I'll only update if you review!

Asar: Yeah it keeps her reminded that she has stories here.

Spooky: Shut up.

Asar: 'Till next time.


	12. Chapter 12

Spooky: OMG! I'm updating!

CSW Duo: YEA! (plays marching band music)

Jenny: (yawns) Wow that was a good nap!

Vixy: I agree.

Spooky: (twitchs) You were sleeping for…FIVE MONTHS!

Jenny: Yeah we needed a break.

(Asar walks in)

Asar: Hey.

Spooky: And where were YOU!

Asar: Trip around the world.

Spooky: oh my Goddess. I have SLACKERS for muses. (mutters) wonderful. Anyway here's the update. Maybe, MAYBE I can start updating regularly now. (I hope)

Asar: Remember to review. It's the only thing that keeps her alive.

About five hours later, Veronica and Darkstar watched the refueling station outside of L3 come into view. The station's radar range popped up on the screen. A bright green circle with a ring for the station, a bright red dot for Darkstar, and smaller dots for the other ships.

"Whoa!" cried Veronica as she saw how close they were.

She roughly grabbed the controls and viciously pulled them to the left. Darkstar banked sharply to the left. Missing the radar by a scant six inches. Veronica let Darkstar take over. She heaved a big sigh.

"Well that was fun," said Darkstar sarcastically.

"At least we're alive," muttered Veronica.

"Phfft. Barely."

"Okay, Quatre told us to wait outside the station for them. So we'll just sit tight until they get here."

"Aren't we kind of obvious out here? A ship could scan us on radar or fly close by."

"Man you're becoming more and more human by the day."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Now…about finding a hiding place?"

"This is so degrading."

"Shut up Darkstar," said Veronica as she put a pair of heavy headphones on.

"I am not scrap metal. I am a highly efficient A.I., I should not be floating out here with _scrap_ metal!"

"Darkstar! Please be quiet I'm trying to monitor these broadcasts!"

"Broadcasts, shmoadcasts! I'm out here with the trash!"

Veronica gritted her teeth in frustration. _I knew Darkstar objected this, but I didn't think he would be so fussy about it,_ thought Veronica. "Darkstar, are you monitoring the other broadcasts?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm multitasking, I'm multitasking." A pause. "You know, I think you like listening to other peoples' conversations."

"They're not conversations. I'm monitoring their transmissions to the station to find out who's docking."

"Yeah, sure," interrupted Darkstar.

"That way," continued Veronica, "we'll know when Quatre and the others dock. Plus we'll know if any D.C. Corp. ships dock."

"I guess your right."

Half an hour later Veronica picked up Quatre's transmission. He was asking for permission to dock.

"Alright they're here," said Veronica. "Quatre told us to wait five minutes before going in."

"Well duh. We would, like, totally _die_ if we didn't."

"Darkstar, don't do that. It makes you sound gay."

"Sorry," said Darkstar making his artificial voice deep and gruff. "I was just testing my femininity."

"Yeah, well don't do it like that anymore. Show some sensitivity instead."

"Wouldn't that still make me sound gay?"

"Not necessarily.

"Most women like men who are sensitive. I mean, look at Quatre. He's sensitive but he's not gay."

"Yeah, yeah. Whoops our five minutes are up. Lets go."

"Right."

Yet Veronica hesitated. She wasn't sure if Quatre had been able to convince Sally that they were friends, let alone that they were even there.

"Hey, come on aren't we going?" asked Darkstar.

"Just one more minute," whispered Veronica.

At refueling station Quatre was trying to convince Sally that there was a mobile suit out there. But she wouldn't hear it. She said that if there was a mobile suit out there it would show up on radar. Quatre stood there staring at the view screen.

_Come on Veronica,_ he thought. _You need to get here while they're still watching._

Just then a blip showed up on the radar. Sally looked shocked for a moment then started issuing orders. Veronica's face came up on the screen.

"This is The Dragon in the mobile suit Darkstart, requesting permission to dock," said Veronica.

Sally looked over at Quatre. He smiled innocently and nodded.

"Permission granted," said Sally.

Spooky: I hope that wasn't too long or too short. I have a whole other chapter ready, but I gotta get some reviews.

Asar: So hit that little button on the bottom.


	13. Chapter 13

Spooky: Yea! Another chapter! This one is for sweetangel4. Enjoy!

Fifteen minutes later Sally, the boys, and Veronica were in the conference room. It would have been quicker, but they had to disarm Veronica. She knew she wasn't completely defenseless, but it felt strange not to have her two swords, gun, or dagger. Now Sally was seated behind a desk and Veronica and Quatre were sitting in front of the desk the other boys were standing. Veronica's hands were cold from nervousness, though on the outside she was completely calm.

"So what's this mission about?" asked Heero.

Sally looked at Veronica suspiciously. "First I'd like to ask this young lady a few questions. Like what she's doing with a mobile suit, especially one as advanced as that."

Veronica looked at Sally calmly, but inside her heart was pounding. It wasn't like she could tell Sally about D.C. Corp. she probably wouldn't believe her. She wasn't sure what to say. She opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't think of anything. Her mouth snapped shut. Luckily Quatre came to her rescue.

"We can trust her," said Quatre. "If this mission is what I think it's about then Veronica already knows about it."

"So all of you trust her?" asked Sally looking around the room. The boys nodded.

"Please Sally, you have to trust us. Trust her," pleaded Quatre.

Slowly Sally nodded. "Alright, if you all trust her." She turned to Quatre and Veronica. "I get the distinct feeling that the two of you know what this is about."

Quatre and Veronica looked at each other. Then Veronica turned to Sally. "It's D.C. Corp., isn't it?"

Sally's eyebrow went up. She sighed. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. We have reason to suspect that the owner of D.C. Corp., Valren McManus, is utilizing illegal activities to pump the E.S.U.N. of money. Not to mention there have been reports of threats and kidnapping all headed by Valren McManus."

Veronica resisted the urged to snort at the government's ignorance for the past 25 years. Sally turned to her apparently sensing something from her.

"If you have something to say, say it," said Sally.

Veronica squirmed in her seat. She really didn't want to tell her whole story over. "Well…I was just thinking about how the government could stay ignorant for 25 years."

Again Sally's eyebrow went up. "Would you mind telling me how you know it's been going on for 25 years?"

Veronica looked at Quatre.

"It's a long story," said Quatre. "Just give the details on the mission and if there's time we'll tell you."

Sally nodded. "Basically we need proof. We can't make any accusations until we have proof. That's what we need you to do. Get the proof in a non-violent way."

"Sounds easy enough," said Duo. "Can't we just sneak into their headquarters and take some files or something?"

"I'm afraid it isn't going to be that easy," said Sally. "That would be considered stealing. You'll have to confront him. That will be your job, Quatre. You've done business with him before, right?"

"Yes," said Quatre. "I've already cut off all business with D.C. Corp. he'll probably want to talk to me anyway."

Veronica rubbed the scar on her cheek. Wasn't that proof enough? Couldn't she testify against him? But honestly who would believe a teenage girl? It was her word against the owner of one of the most powerful companies on Earth and through the colonies. Suddenly a thought came to her. There was a possibility that they would have to go to the same complex her parents were being held. While they tried to get the proof she could free her parents. Hopefully nothing went wrong.

"Any idea where he is?" asked Trowa.

"Yes," said Sally. "I took the liberty of arranging a meeting in Quatre's name. He wants to meet you in their main office in the United States. In Denver Colorado."

Veronica's head snapped up. That was the same complex her parents were being held at.

Duo frowned. "Strange place to have your main office."

Sally nodded then turned to Quatre. "He agreed to let two other people go with you." She turned back to the other boys. "Two of you will go with him and the other two will stay in the car. Just in case something goes wrong."

"I think I'll take Heero and Trowa in. If you guys don't mind," said Quatre.

_Smart choice,_ thought Veronica. It made sense. Duo had a big mouth and was likely to get them in trouble. Then there was Wufei. His temper often got the best of him. Heero and Trowa were most likely to stay quiet.

"Fine," said Wufei.

"That's fine with me as long as I get to drive," said Duo. "What are we driving anyway?"

"Standard dark blue suburban," answered Sally.

"Alright!" said Duo punching the air.

"When do we leave?" asked Heero.

"Early tomorrow morning," said Sally. "You should make it to Earth by late afternoon early evening. You'll be meeting Valren the next morning at 8 A.M." She paused. Then she turned to Veronica. "Now would you mind telling me how the two of you know so much?"

Veronica looked at Sally and then at Quatre. Quatre just shrugged. Great, he was leaving it up to her. She really didn't want to tell her story to anyone else. She wasn't even sure if it had been a good idea to tell the Gundam boys. But then on the other hand if she told Sally it could help them catch Valren. She took a deep breath and went for it.

An hour later Quatre and Veronica were at the apartment the Preventors had provided. The other boys were still at the Preventors' office. They were due back soon. Quatre was sitting on the couch going through some papers. Veronica was pacing back and forth. She wanted to go, she had to go. But she knew Quatre would object.

"Quatre?" she asked tentatively.

"Hmmm?" he said without looking up.

_It's now or never,_ she thought. "I'm going with you guys."

Quatre's head snapped up in surprise. "No. We shouldn't risk it."

"Why not?" demanded Veronica. "That complex is the same one my parents are at!"

"And that's exactly why you shouldn't come," said Quatre going back to his paper work.

"But I have to free them. This could be my chance! If I don't free them now I might not get another chance for a long time. And by that time they could be dead!"

Quatre sighed. He knew she was right; he just didn't want her to get hurt. "Alright, you can come, but you have to promise to stay in the car."

"I can't promise that, 'cause if I see my parents or my brother outside the complex I'm gonna go get them."

"That's okay with me, I'll talk to the others about it. As long as you stay out of the building."

Veronica grunted and crossed her arms. "Fine." The she began pacing again.

She was thinking about what they were going to talk about to Valren and if they were going to talk to Bren or Valren. She wished she could go in. She wanted to see Valren's face when she walked in with three Gundam pilots ready to testify against him.

"Quatre?"

"Yes?"

"Ah, never mind."

You really want to go in, huh?"

Veronica nodded.

"Don't worry," said Quatre. "You'll be able to see and hear everything."

"How?" asked Veronica looking slightly confused.

"Me, Heero, and Trowa will be wearing pins with small cameras and microphones in them and the suburban has monitors in it so you guys will get to see and hear everything. Just in case something goes wrong."

Veronica sighed. "I guess that's better than nothing."

She plopped down on the couch that was across from Quatre. Her fingers drummed on the couch arm as she got lost in thought. She wondered how the meeting would go and if Valren or Bren thought anything was up. What if there were metal detectors? Or what if they did a search for things like microphones? Knowing Valren even if he knew the microphones were there he would probably let them go in anyway and then talk about something that would irk her.

Just then Duo came in. "Hey guys," he said cheerily.

"Hey," said Veronica.

From the table Quatre mumbled something that could've been 'hey'.

"Where are the others?" asked Veronica.

"They're still out in the car," said Duo motioning to the window. "We were wondering if you guys wanted to come with us to grab a bite to eat."

"Sounds good," said Veronica.

She looked over at Quatre. He nodded enthusiastically.

"Great! Let's go!" said Duo.

Spooky: Hope that wasn't too boring or short. The next chapter will have some action in! I promise!

Asar: Please Review.


	14. Chapter 14

Spooky: Hey all! Sorry this has taken so long. I've been really busy. Well lets get this going. Asar who does this chapter go to?

Asar: This chapter is dedicated to, wow two people. Sarah and Wufei aka Em.

Spooky: Thanks for the reviews guys! Here's the story!

The next morning came early; too early for Veronica's tastes. They threw their stuff in the small shuttle and headed out. The eight-hour trip was long and boring. So to pass the time Veronica pumped as much information out of the boys as she could. It was interesting how similar yet different their lives were. They each had fought their own war; they all had lost their parents, except she could get hers back. At least she hoped she could get them back.

Besides talking to the boys she thought about how she was going to get her parents back. Most likely they wouldn't get anything out of Valren on the first try. In fact it could take months before they could do anything. She would probably have to get her parents out herself. She couldn't ask the boys to help her; if they got caught it would put a bad name on the Preventors.

She had decided that she would stay on Earth even if the boys left. That way she could possibly come up with a way to free her parents. She hoped she wouldn't need Darkstar. She had left him and Pepper in Sally's care. She hoped they would be there when she got back, in she got back. If something major did happen she could send a signal to Darkstar via her watch and he could get Pepper and fly out to help her. She prayed it wouldn't come to that.

"This is sooo boring," Duo whined.

"Would you shut up," Wufei snapped.

The next day they had gotten up early to plan for the meeting. Now Duo, Wufei, and Veronica were in the car watching the meeting. Veronica had to agree with Duo; so far it had been boring. They were still talking about business. Something Veronica didn't want to hear. Quatre had tried to pry further into Valren's business, but he either deigned it or veered off the subject.

"I have to agree with Duo," said Veronica sighing. "We've been here for over an hour and he hasn't said or done anything for us to go on."

"Guess we'll have to try again next time," said Wufei.

_Next time could be to late, _thought Veronica.

She turned back to the screen. The meeting was over and Valren was escorting Quatre, Heero, and Trowa out. Suddenly Quatre turned around as if he had seen something suspicious. Then through the camera she saw them. Three people walking down the hall followed by a guard.

"That's them," said Veronica, almost breathing it.

On the screen was a couple in their forties and a boy of about twenty.

"Who?" asked Duo as he turned around. But she was gone, running toward the building.

Veronica ran as fast as she could, the doors exploding open as she ran inside. There the four of them were standing just outside the hallway.

"Veronica, what are you doing?" asked Quatre confused.

He looked shocked, as did Valren. She ran towards them, grabbed Quatre's arm, and yanked him into the hallway, slamming and locking the door behind them.

"Veronica, what-"

"That's them!" she interrupted and pointed down the hall. "Stop!"

The four people turned around. Veronica and Quatre ran towards them, the guard started to pull out his gun. Veronica's power surged around her; the thought of her parents being rescued gave her extra strength. She lashed out with her energy and the guard went flying. He hit the wall with a thud and slumped to the floor.

"Veronica" cried the boy. "You're all right!"

Veronica quickly gave them hugs. "No time to talk," she said. She turned to the boy. "Nick, you know the way out right?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Guys this is Quatre. Quatre these are my parents and my brother. Now get out of here Quatre has a car waiting."

"But-"

"No time!"

She grabbed Quatre and half shoved, half threw him towards them. They hesitated.

"GO!" she yelled.

Just then more security guards came running down the hall. They took off down the hall leaving Veronica behind. She turned to face the guards. She let her power build up. She could feel moving over her skin. An invisible power. She let her power whip out at the guards. They collapsed unconscious on the floor. She ran down the hall as more guards came around the corner. Just then there came the sound of a heavy door slamming.

_Good, they made it out, _she thought as she turned a corner.

She didn't want to go out, at least not yet. So she headed for the stairs and headed deeper into the complex. About three flights of stairs down four more guards cut her off. She shoved her energy out and the guards fell down the stairs. She went through the door on her left and ran down the corridor.

After running down a few more corridors and taking a few more turns she was sure she'd lost them. She stopped to catch her breath and looked around. The corridors were made completely of metal. Not the kind you could see yourself in, but the dull, uncaring kind. The kind you'd find in prison cells.

She listened carefully for any signs of pursuit, but there was nothing save the sound of her heavy breathing and the buzzing of the fluorescent lights overhead. She continued carefully down the hall, going slow and listening for any sounds at all. All the doors she passed had numbers on them, D132, D133, D134 and so on. _I must be three levels under ground to be on level D, _she thought. Suddenly there was a loud rumbling noise, she whipped around, but no one was in sight. She looked up it seemed to be coming from the air ducts. The lights flickered then were normal again. She thought that was odd and wondered what they could be doing to cause the lights to flicker.

She continued down the hall. She passed another corridor and broke out in goose bumps. _Oh God! Some one's here, _she thought. Her head screamed panic and he heart started racing. Suddenly an intense pain shot through her body. It came from the chip on the back of her neck! She cried out and fell to the floor. Suddenly a pair of shoes came into her line of sight. Just by the way they looked she knew it was Bren. He smiled wickedly down at her. Her teeth gritted in anger. He held up a small remote and pressed a button. She cried out as another shock of pain shot through her body.

"I can't believe you thought you could come this far into the complex without being detected." Bren shook his head. "I thought you were better than that."

"I am," said Veronica through gritted teeth. "You may have got me, but you lost three others."

Bren's smile widened. "You were all that mattered."

Veronica screamed at him in rage and pain as another shock hit her. _I have to get a message to them,_ she thought desperately. _I may not make it back._ She concentrated as hard as she could, but for some reason she couldn't reach Quatre. So she reached out to her brother.

Spooky: That's all for now! Will she be able to reach her brother! Will they be able to get her out! Tune in next time!

Asar: rolls eyes Don't forget to review, or else she'll forget…


	15. Chapter 15

Spooky: Gosh guys I am sooooo sorry I haven't updated in a year! That's terrible! I just haven't been motivated. I've had this written for a couple months but I wanted it to be longer and then thought 'heck I might as well put it up!' So here it is. I hope you can forgive me for taking so long. It's really hard to stay motivated when you have no GW to watch. ;; Anyway this chapter is dedicated to Sarah and kidishcaresh. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Meanwhile Quatre had gotten them all back to the suburban safely. When they got there Heero and Trowa were also waiting for them. He ushered Veronica's parents and her brother into the car.

"Where's Veronica?" asked Duo.

"She's still in the complex," said Quatre. "I have to go get her."

He turned to run but Heero grabbed his arm. Quatre turned to face him.

"Let me go."

Heero shook his head. "You can't go back."

"Why not?" he asked shocked. He could feel the anger and frustration building in his chest.

"We can't help her now. Their security will be on red alert."

"I don't care!" cried Quatre. "We have to save her!" He struggled against Heero's grip. Not wanting to give up.

"WAIT!" came the sudden cry from her brother, Nick.

Everyone turned and looked at him. He had a strange expression on his face. Almost like he had lost something.

"Wait for what?" asked Duo.

Nick shook his head like he was clearing his mind. "It was Veronica…" The look in his eyes was pure sadness. "She doesn't want us to get her out."

"WHAT!" cried Quatre. Disbelief was written on his every feature.

Nick turned to his parents. "She said that she's glad we got out safe and she loves us. She said she'll try to get out, but it's unlikely. And if she does it won't be for a while." He turned back to Quatre. "She told me to tell you that she loves you very much, but she doesn't want you to go get her. She doesn't want you to get hurt."

"No," said Quatre his voice barely above a whisper. "Did she say anything else?"

Nick shook his head. "It was weird, suddenly she was just cut off. I couldn't hear or feel her anymore."

Quatre's eyes widened in fear. There were several things that could have caused her to be cut off. And none of them were good. "No!"

Again he tried to run and again Heero grabbed him. It took both Heero and Trowa to restrain Quatre and get him into the car. They drove off with Quatre struggling and arguing all the way back to the Preventors' apartments.

When Veronica regained consciousness she was in a dark cell. The same cell they always put her in. The one that held so many painful memories.

She shook her head trying to clear it. The last thing she remembered was reaching her brother. She had told him that she didn't want them rescuing her, and then Bren had pushed a button and she had passed out. She gritted her teeth. This cell was the _last_ place she had wanted to end up in again. _But here I am,_ she though. _Just like always. Because you go back to what you know._

She looked around. Nothing had changed at all. It was still a barren, cold cell. There was no windows and only an air vent and a cot with no blankets. How ironic, the air vent had been wielded shut. That's how she had gotten out the last time. They must have figured it out. She used her powers to tug at the vent. But it was securely wielded shut. She knew she could tear the vent off, but it would be noisy. The last thing she wanted was to be caught trying to escape right off the bat. She sighed. She'd just have to wait it out.

She plopped down onto the cot. She wondered about the others. She hoped they were safe. Would they take her advice and not try to rescue her? The compound was going to be on high alert for at least a week. Knowing Quatre he'd try to convince the others to do something. She really hoped they wouldn't come and get her. She was probably better off here anyway. She caught herself and scowled, realizing the pity trip she was going into. Even if she wasn't better off here they couldn't get her for a week. Not with security the way it was. And she certainly wasn't going to escape. That would only get her beat more.

She lay back on the cot and closed her eyes. She might as well sleep now, because she most likely wouldn't get much in the next week.

Spooky: Oh noes! What will happen next! Hopefully I can get a new one out in the next month or so. I've just been busy trying to graduate and work and learn guitar and a bunch of other junk. Anyway review so I remember I have a story going! It helps, trust me. Laters!


	16. Chapter 16

**The Dragon Girl**

**Chapter 16**

Spooky: Yes Kasabian I know. But did it ever occur to you that maybe I've had this char long before ff.n was ever up? Hmmm? And since you reviewed the first chapter I'll assume you didn't even read the story. I'm actually very proud of this story, not the character. Actually I hate the first half of this story and when I finish this I intend to rewrite the whole thing. I also think that Veronica was quite flat and a bit stupid in the beginning. Which was not my intention, but I didn't know how to write at the time. Two years does a lot. So I'm afraid I had no choice but to delete your review. On to more important things… This chapter is dedicated to KallieKitty. Thanks for reviewing!

Quatre sat alone in his bedroom back at the Preventers apartment. His head in his hands as he tried to think of some way to justify going back and saving Veronica. But no mater how many excuses or situations he thought up, he knew nothing would work. He slammed his fist down on the bed. It was so frustrating! How was he supposed to save her when she didn't want to be saved? Just then there was a soft knock on his door. Quatre sighed. He _really_ didn't want company.

"Come in."

The door opened and Duo peeked his head in cautiously. "Hey," he said.

Quatre made a noise that sounded like a grunt.

"I'll take that as a 'come right in Duo,'" said Duo trying to grin. When Quatre just looked at him the smile slid off his face. "How ya doing?" he asked solemnly.

"How do you think?" growled Quatre.

Duo sat down next to him. "I know it's hard-"

"No you don't know," said Quatre his voice barely audible.

Duo sighed. "You know, it's never going to get better. As long as you're with her there's always gonna be trouble."

"I know," said Quatre pressing his hands against his eyes.

Duo put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. Quatre appreciated the gesture, but it didn't make him feel any better.

"You know, if you ever just need a laugh or to go have some fun, I'm always here."

Quatre looked up at Duo trying to smile. "Thank you."

Duo grinned at him. "No prob." He paused. "Now the real reason I came here was to ask if you wanted to go out to dinner with us. I got Heero and Wufei to come."

Quatre thought about that. It sounded nice, but he wasn't sure it would cheer him up. He just wanted to get Veronica back. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass."

Duo shrugged. "Trowa said the same thing." He got up and headed for the door, but paused when he got there. "We'll be at the T Bar and Grill if you decide to come later."

"Thanks."

With that Duo left.

So Trowa was staying too. Quatre wondered if he really didn't want to go or if he was staying because he was worried. Quatre shook his head. Trowa shouldn't be worrying about him. There really wasn't anything anyone could do. At least not yet. He sighed and resigned himself to waiting a week before trying anything. He _would_ get Veronica out of there. Even if he had to trade himself for her. A small smile came to his lips; she would never go for that. That was her flaw; she cared too much about other people and didn't care enough about herself.

He stood up and stretched. He could make plans on how to get her out, even if he couldn't actually do anything for a week. He sat down at his desk and began planning.

Spooky: I know this chapter is kind of short, but the next one will be really long and I didn't want to add this to it too. Please review! I love reviews! Later days!


	17. Chapter 17

Spooky: This chapter is HUGE! Literally. It's three pages in word. I hope you enjoy it. There is mild violence in this chapter. Nothing much really. I hope you think the effect is enough. This chapter is for Rhuinnes. Thank you for reviewing all the chapters! I feel so loved!

Veronica woke up the next day stiff and at first unsure where she was. Then it slapped her in the face like a cold rag. She rolled over and faced the wall. She could hardly wait to see what was in store for her today. Not. _Damn me and my impulsiveness,_ she thought angrily. She slammed the wall with her fist. That didn't get her anywhere except make her hand ache.

Suddenly she heard a loud click as someone unlocked the door. She swung her legs over the side of the cot and sat up. The heavy door swung open and a blinding white light lit the room. Veronica squinted against the light.

"Come on. Lets go," said a gruff male voice.

_So this is how he's going to do it, _she thought as she stood up. He wasn't even going to come down and taunt her as he dragged her through the halls. She walked over to the man and stopped in front of him.

"Hold out your hands," he growled.

She sighed inwardly. She knew she could make him unconscious and just walk out. But that would never happen. She'd never get out of the complex. Security was still too high. So she held out her hands. The guard placed heavy cuffs on her writs. She looked down at them. _This is pathetic,_ she thought. Bren knew she would be able to get out of those. But he must have thought she wouldn't try to escape.

"Lets go," said the guard, bringing her out of her thoughts. He grabbed the chain between the cuffs and yanked her out of the cell and into the brightly lit white corridors. He slammed the door.

Veronica looked around. Same boring white tile ceiling, same tiled floor, same fluorescent lighting, same white walls.

"Move," said the guard roughly poking her in the back with his pistol.

"I'm movin'," she grumbled. And they headed down the corridors.

All the halls looked the same. All white, all of them sterile. Valren always liked it that way. Veronica had a tendency to bleed all over the walls, but somehow he always got them clean. They passed only a few people. Each of them gave her a smug look. Oh yes, they knew her here. Most of them probably hated her too. Thought that she was the bad guy. It didn't matter. She simply kept her head up and her eyes forward.

Finally they made it to an all-familiar door. The guard punched in a code on a panel next to the door. There was a heavy click and the guard pushed the door open. Veronica stepped into the room and the guard shut the door behind her. It was a gray metal room like the cells, but shinier and cleaner. There was a metal table in the middle of the room and Bren sat in a chair on the far side with a chair opposite of him. He was wearing the typical blue and silver uniform that all DC Corp personnel wore. His dark brown hair was combed back into a conservative style. The rest of the room was bare. However, Veronica knew that the wall to her right was a fake wall. Using a remote it could be opened to display all manner of tools.

"Welcome home," said Bren smirking.

Veronica gave him a nasty look.

"Aren't you going to sit down?" he asked innocently.

She warily moved forward, eyeing the chair. She set her hands on the chair.

"Nothing's booby trapped," said Bren, spreading his arms.

Veronica lifted her hands to Bren's eye level. She shook her hands making the chains clink. "Not much for security," she said giving him a maniacal grin.

"Hmm, yes. No need," he said waving his hand dismissively. "You be dead before you could make it out of here." Now it was his turn to grin at her.

She grunted and went back to glaring at him. She grabbed the chair and yanked it out and roughly sat down.

"Hmm. Let's get on with this shall we?" He paused. Veronica continued to glare at him. "Now, if you cooperate your treatment here shall be fairly well and we can skip most of the unpleasantness. So?"

Veronica's eyebrow went up in an unsaid question.

"Cooperation in this case would be disclosing information you deem important." His mouth twitched at that thought. "And training some of the kids. So do you agree?"

Veronica gave no answer.

"Well let's start. First thing, what did you hope to gain in coming back?"

Silence.

"Were the Gundam pilots helping you?"

Still no answer.

"How much information did you disclose to them?"

Veronica simply continued to glare at him. He sighed and stood up.

"Fine." He walked around behind her. "What were the Gundam pilots doing with you?"

She didn't answer. He whacked her on the side of the head. Her ear stung where he hit her, but she didn't move, simply stared straight ahead. He wasn't going to get anything from her. Not now, not ever.

"How much information did you give them?"

This time he whacked the other side of her head. Her head snapped to the side with the force. But she still didn't answer.

"Where are your parents?" He grabbed the chain between her cuffs and dragged her to her feet.

"Where is the AI, Darkstar?" When she didn't answer he slapped her hard enough to put her on the floor. She sat up and licked her lip. He had split her lip.

"Where is it!" he yelled anger flashing in his eyes.

Veronica slowly stood up, glaring at him.

Bren gritted his teeth. "Alright, we'll do this the hard way."

He took a remote from one of his pockets and pointed it at the wall behind Veronica. She turned around and watched as the wall opened up to reveal a hidden compartment. In the compartment were several types of knives, a nightstick, various whips with different tips, a number of chains, and several things she couldn't identify.

"Your pick," said Bren wickedly.

She just stood there, her body tense. This was it. The inevitable. But the question was would it be worse than the other times or not so bad? Bren walked over to the compartment and picked up a knife. It had a metal handle and was about five inches long.

"We just had all of these sharpened," he said examining the knife. "They were getting kind of dull." He walked over to her and pressed the tip of the knife under her chin. "Now… are you going to answer me?"

She stood there defiantly, not answering.

"I see."

He walked around to her side. In a flash he cut her upper right arm. Her arm twitched and her body tensed further. Blood ran down her arm coating it. This, this she could handle. It was when he played head games. When he toyed with her emotions that she lost her head. He walked around to her other side and grabbed her left arm. He then began to carve a B on her upper arm. The muscles twitched under the knife but she continued to look forwards, no expression on her face. She didn't struggle. No it wasn't the time, not yet. When he'd had some fun and the pain and rage had built up in her then she would fight back. She would break both of his arms this time.

Bren let go of her arm. It dropped to her side, bleeding. She looked over at him expressionless. She reached out with her powers and healed the cuts so there would be no scar. His mark would not be on her. Bren scowled.

"I see you're going to be difficult."

He backhanded her. She stumbled back. She may have been stubborn, but physically he was a lot stronger than her. He cocked his head and then in a rush punched her. She staggered and before she could recover she felt his fist slam into her stomach. The air left her in a whoosh. She fell to her knees, holding her stomach and trying to catch her breathe. Bren looked down at her with disdain.

"Pathetic," he said sneered. "You're no stronger than your brother."

Something in her snapped. The fact that they had treated her brother like this awoke a rage in her. Her eyes snapped open and she threw herself at him. She caught him off guard and they tumbled to the floor. She straddled him and slammed her fist down on his arm. He dropped the knife. She reached for it and he backhanded her, but she managed to get hold of the knife. He sat up and pushed her backwards. She managed to cut his shoulder but landed on her back. He pounced, pinning her to the floor. He straddled her, gripping her legs with his so she couldn't kick. His hands gripped her wrists and she tried to cut his hands. He squeezed her wrists harder and the knife dropped from her hand. She stopped struggling and tried to catch her breath. Bren looked down at her, anger in his eyes.

"Stupid bitch," he said viciously. "Maybe I should do you right here and teach you a lesson." His hips came down and he pressed against her.

Her eyes grew wide and she panicked. She arched her back and began to buck and struggle. She thrashed underneath him, trying to get away. _No, no, no, NO!_ her mind screamed. _Not this!_ But she couldn't free herself. He was so much stronger than her.

Bren chuckled evilly. "If you stop struggling I might forget about it."

Veronica suddenly went limp. Her breath came in quick gasps as the fear gripped her mind.

Bren looked over at his shoulder. "Hmm, I don't know. That was an awfully nasty cut you gave me." He looked back at her, watching her face.

Her breathing quickened as panic rose in her chest. Her eyes were full of fear.

He leaned over, his face close to hers. "That is the one thing you truly fear, isn't it?"

He was looking into her eyes. Watching every emotion. She stared up into the face of her betrayer. Her mind was panicked and she couldn't think straight. All she could think about was getting out from under him.

Bren leaned back still not letting her go. "Even if I wanted to I couldn't. Not yet anyway. Valren would be… _displeased_." Bren watched her face a moment and then let her go.

She scrambled out from under him. Backing up until her back hit the chair. Bren stood up and watched her. Her blonde hair fell in her face, her eyes were wide with fear, and her breath was ragged. Her mind slowly cleared. The terror began to melt as she realized he couldn't do anything. Yet.

Bren picked up the fallen knife and then straightened his uniform. He put the knife back in the compartment and grabbed the nightstick.

"Will you be willing to cooperate now?" he asked tapping the nightstick against his thigh.

She swallowed. The fear slowly left her eyes. She stood up. She watched him a moment, trying to calm her racing heart. Then she nodded.

"Good," said Bren nodding curtly. He walked towards her. "Now where were we?"

Spooky: So what did you think? How were the descriptions? Please tell me! I really want to get better! Also please review! It reminds me that I have stories here. XD Until we meet again! Later days!


	18. Chapter 18

Spooky: This chappy is dedicated to Rhuinnes again! You're an awesome reviewer! hugs I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I sure had fun writing it!

The guards dumped Veronica on the floor of her cell. She landed on her face her cuffed hands under her.

"What the hell did they give her?" asked one of the guards.

"I don't know but she sure was limp," said the other one.

Veronica heard the door clank shut. "It could have…" Their voices grew faint as the walked away.

What _had_ they given her? She had never felt so exhausted after a session. And some of them had been bad. Her body did ache, but that was already healing. But the grogginess and the exhaustion consumed her. She couldn't keep her mind on one thing. It just kept bouncing from one thing to the next. They must have put something in the food they had given her.

She tried to roll over onto her back and found that it took much more effort than she thought it would. Finally she made it onto her back. She lifted her hands to above her face, which took another great deal of effort. Mostly cause she couldn't keep her mind on what she was doing.

_I wonder what Quatre's doing? I hope Pepper's okay. I wonder what snow would look like on Saturn? _She shook her head at that last ridicules thought.

She fixed her concentration on the cuffs on her hands. One side clinked open and her arms fell to her sides. She concentrated and the other side unlatched and she moved her arm. She lay there on the floor letting her thoughts bounce around in her head.

After a while her thoughts calmed down. She let her mind empty and stared at the ceiling. A few minutes later the lights in the hall went out and she let the darkness engulf her.

Quatre tossed and turned through the night. Nightmares plagued him. Visions of Veronica being beaten and tortured while he stood by and watched overwhelmed him. He suddenly awoke, coated in a cold sweat. His breathing was ragged as he tried to forget the images. He looked out the window; the sun was just starting to rise. He knew he'd never get back to sleep. He really didn't _want_ to go back to sleep. There were times when dreams were almost more painful than reality. But maybe it was worse for Veronica. Perhaps she was wanting for it all to stop. Waiting to find the sweet release of sleep. He put his head in his hands. How could he know anything for sure?

He threw the covers off and stood up and stretched. They were meeting with Valren again tomorrow. Quatre sincerely doubted that they would get anything from him. The best they could hope for was that Valren would slip and give them a hint. It was possible that she wasn't even there. They could have moved her to a different complex right after they caught her. She could be on one of the colonies for all her knew. But that didn't fit. If DC Corp's main HQ was in Colorado then they would most likely keep her there.

He sighed. There was no sense in assuming anything. They just had to concentrate on getting information. But he wouldn't stop until she was free.

Veronica woke up the next morning to the sound of the door creaking open. Footsteps came towards her and she opened her eyes. She immediately regretted it as fluorescent light poured through the door. She snapped her eyes shut. A foot nudged her shoulder. It had to be Bren.

"I see you didn't eat your dinner," said Bren in a condescending tone.

Veronica squinted at him and then twisted her head around to follow his gaze. There on the floor next to the bunk was a tray of uneaten food.

_Ah shit_, she thought. She turned her head back around and rubbed her eyes. "I didn't see it there last night," she said her voice thick and groggy.

"Hmm…I suppose that can be overlooked. But I suppose you're hungry now."

She squinted up at him. His head was cocked and he was watching her with mild curiosity.

"Yeah I am."

He nodded and extended his hand. Veronica ignored it and rolled over. She pushed herself up and then stood up. She suddenly regretted standing up as the world started spinning. Bren reached out to try and help her, but she shook his hand off. But that only made her loose her balance more and she ended up grabbing Bren's arm in order to steady herself. His hand on her elbow he helped steady her.

"Aren't you going to mock me for being weak?" she growled.

Bren looked down at her. "There's no point in it."

She looked up at him. This was not the Bren she knew. She let go of his arm and straightened up, still groggy and confused. Bren bent down and picked up the cuffs.

"Sorry, but it's protocol," he said.

She held her wrists out and he cuffed her again. He set his hand on her elbow again and guided her into the hall. She noticed that her legs were shaky and she was still slightly unbalanced. When they got into the hall she shook his hand off. He shrugged and walked up the hall. Shakily she followed him with two guards behind her. She followed him through the maze of corridors. Finally they came to a set of double doors on their right. Bren pushed one of the doors open and she walked in.

Veronica looked around. It was the cafeteria. On each side of the double doors stood an armed guard. There were roughly two hundred other kids and teens in the cafeteria along with a few DC Corp. personnel. She looked back over her shoulder. The guards that had escorted her here didn't come in, but simply continued down the hall. Bren entered the cafeteria and headed for a table. The door swung shut with a heavy thunk. Several of the kids in the front tables looked up and then began to whisper among themselves. She looked down and followed Bren. She was famous here. Famous for escaping when no one else could. Famous for blowing up compounds yet never killing anyone. Famous for having the most powerful psychic abilities.

She _really_ didn't want any attention right now. It was bad enough she was captured again, but to then have most of the kids in the compound look up to her and expect her to get them out or escape again was almost too much. It didn't matter anyway. She had given up this time. She wasn't going home. She had gotten her parents out and now she had given herself up to DC Corp. She would be here forever.

Suddenly an image of Quatre's smiling face filled her mind. Seeing his face made her want to scream and smash things there in the compound. She clenched her fists. Life wasn't fair. She didn't want to put Quatre though this. Why, oh why did she have to confess her love to him? But then that wouldn't have matter, because he cared about her and would have worried even if he hadn't known she liked him.

They walked through the sea of people for what seemed like forever, until they came to the back. They sat down at a two-person table.

"So what the hell _did_ you put in the food yesterday?" she asked casually.

"Ah yes, that was a newly developed drug. It is virtually undetectable by computers and psychic powers. It inhibits the thought process so much that it basically takes away the psychic powers," said Bren conversationally. "Though apparently you were still able to tap into them seeing as how your cuffs were off…"

Veronica gave him as much of a grin as she could in her still groggy state. "I'm tougher than you think."

"Well of course you are. And you've worked on developing your powers where the others haven't."

"So you tested this drug on the kids?"

"Yes, for quite awhile."

"Even before the last time I was captured?"

"Yes. If you remember you weren't here all that long that time."

"True."

Just then a server set a plate of food in front of her. The delicious smell of the food made her realize how hungry she really was. She grabbed the fork and was about to dig in when she realized she still had the cuffs on. She set the fork down and held her hands out to Bren.

"Do you mind?" she asked.

"I think you can do that your self," said Bren watching her carefully.

She lowered her hands and frowned. This was a test. A test to see how quickly her powers came back. She looked down at her cuffs and concentrated. Her mind was still foggy, but not like it had been the night before. There was a click and both cuffs came off at the same time and fell into her lap. She set them on the table.

"There."

Bren smirked. "Thata girl."

Veronica glared at him then dug into her food.

Spooky: whoo hoo Chapter 18! Things are getting interesting! I cannot WAIT to do the next like 5 chapters! I know, I know more stuff with Veronica. Don't worry! The next chapter will only be with the boys! (I hope ; ) Please keep reviewing! I love you all!


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